Al Shabaab Determined To Advance-US, AU, and AMISON Determined To Fight Back

The Al Qaeda-linked group operating in Somalia, Al Shabaab, has unfortunately had quite an active summer. Less than two weeks ago, Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the drive-by shooting that killed a member of Somalia’s parliament. They also took responsibility for the suicide car bomb attack on the Jazeera Palace Hotel, for which the Turkistan Islamic Party, or TIP, (also linked to Al Qaeda) commended. Both attacks took place in Mogadishu.

The following is a brief representation of Al Shabaab’s recent attacks:

• March 31, 2015, Al Shabaab gunmen on motorbikes assassinated Joan Kagezi, the Senior Principal State Attorney who was prosecuting the 2010 Al Shabaab bombing in Kampala.
• April 2, 2015, militants storm and attack Garissa University, leaving 147 people dead and over 79 wounded.
• April 20, 2015, Al Shabaab targeted AMISON contributors and detonated a bus bomb in Garowe. The attack killed seven.
• June 18, 2015, Al Shabaab attempts to conduct a suicide bomb attacking a conference “trying to create a constitution for a new state in the Galguduud and Mudug regions in central Somalia”. Over 400 regional leaders and government officials were present at the conference. Somali army members thwarted the plot.
• June 24, 2015, Al Shabaab targets the UAE for the first time when they conducted a suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu. While no UAE citizens were hurt, numerous people were killed in the attack.
• June 26, 2015, at least 30 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack on the AMISON base in Leego, which is located less than 100 miles from Mogadishu.
• July 7, 2015, 14 were killed in an overnight Al Shabaab attack in the town of Mandera, Kenya. This attack targets Christians in particular.

Al Shabaab has been “waging an insurgency against the Somali government since the ICU [Islamic Courts Union] lost power in 2006. However, recent push back against the group has been relatively successful.

As previously discussed on Free Fire, the US has conducting air strikes against Al Shabaab for months. On July 16^th, a US drone strike killed over 30 Al Shabaab members. Additionally, a Somali National Army offensive called “Operation Jubba Corridor” has succeeded in forcing Al Shabaab forces out of villages and towns previously controlled by the group for years.

However, as promising as recent push back missions have been, Al Shabaab has demonstrated its determination and perseverance in continuing to fight the government, which is precisely why the US, the AU, and AMISON must continue to hold up their efforts against the group.

It seems that these bodies are committed to doing just that. Today, the African Union “appealed to the international community to for more financial assistance in the peacekeeping mission in Somalia” to continue providing resources and support for soldiers. Also today, AU forces and members of the Somali government were able to successfully capture several villages in “central Somalia’s Hiran region” from Al Shabaab militants. Reportedly, four villages were taken back and the militant group suffered heavy casualties.

The US has increased its investments against Al Shabaab as well. In this financial year, the US has given Kenya just shy of a billion dollars to assist the fight against Al Shabaab. Reportedly, this year’s allocation is a 163% increase compared to last year’s contribution.

While the administration’s counter terrorism rhetoric downplays the threat of militant Islamist groups, this assistance is an acknowledgement that al Shabaab is key part of the global jihadist movement that threatens U.S. and global security.