A flurry of reports are filling news outlets on the ongoing advance of Somali government troops and international forces toward the port of Kismayo, as they move to oust the Islamic militant group al-Shabaab from its most lucrative source of… Read More ›

shabaab
Al-Shabaab Sack Kismayo Administrator, May Add to Tensions among Leaders
In January 2012, Somalia Report reported that al-Shabaab had sacked its Kismayo administrator, Sheikh Hassan Yacqub, but it was unclear at that time who was to take his place. New reports indicate that al-Shabaab have appointed Sheikh Abu Habeeb to… Read More ›
Constitutional Delegate Murdered in Mogadishu after al-Shabaab Threat
According to emerging reports, an armed group in Mogadishu targeted and killed an elder that was working as part of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA)–which recently ratified the draft version of the country’s constitution. An elder by the name of Baliil,… Read More ›
Somalia: Senior Finance Ministry Official Assassinated in Mogadishu
Updated as of 19 July 2012 11:42 PM (EST). On 19 July 2012, attackers in Mogadishu reportedly assassinated Maxamed Ali Hussein, who served as the Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Finance in the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). Reports indicate that… Read More ›
Al-Shabaab Commissioner in Kismayo Urges Residents to Fight TFG, Evacuates Family
Al-Shabaab’s District Commissioner in Kismayo, Sheikh Hassan Yacqub, has begun efforts to evacuate his wives and children out of the port city in anticipation of troops allied with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) into the city in the coming weeks. According… Read More ›
AQEA Publishes 2nd Issue of Swahili-English Jihadi magazine “Gaidi Mtaani”
New Swahili/English magazine Gaidi Mtaani (Terrorist in the Street) was first posted in April 2012 in Jihadi forums used for material published by al-Qai’da in East Africa (AQEA)–a group with long ties to al-Shabaab. The publication reflects al-Shabaab and their affiliates’… Read More ›
Al-Shabaab Rallying Clan Support in Somalia’s Hiiraan Region
Al-Shabaab continues to rally clan support in key areas of South Central Somalia that help the group maintain its resilience–even as forces from Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the international community exert pressure on the group. Since January 2012,… Read More ›
Somali Government and AMISOM Troops Move Into Balcad in Middle Shabelle Region
Dayniile Online is reporting* that on June 26, 2012, troops from Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and AMISOM have moved into the town of Balcad, about 30 km north of Mogadishu in the Middle Shabelle region. Sources cited in the… Read More ›
Al-Shabaab and the Politics of Mogadishu: Part 2
After al-Shabaab’s suicide bomber penetrated security and detonated herself at the National Theater, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) began an investigation to address suspicions that members of the Prime Minister’s (PM) security team worked in cahoots with al-Shabaab to target… Read More ›