Al-Shabaab (militant group)

Somali faction Consolidation Period (1995-2006) "al-Shabaab" redirects here. Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahideen ( "Movement of Warrior Youth" ), more commonly known as al-Shabaab ( , "The Youth" ) is an Islamist insurgency group in the ongoing war in Somalia . As of summer 2010 the group is said to control most of the southern and central parts of Somalia, including "a large swath" of the capital, Mogadishu , where it is said to have imposed its own "harsh" form of Sharia law. Estimates of al-Shabaab's strength, as of December 2008, vary between 3,000 to 7,000. The group is an off-shoot of the Islamic Courts Union , which splintered into several smaller groups after its removal from power by Ethiopian forces in 2006. The group describes itself as waging jihad against "enemies of Islam" and is engaged in combat against the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). It has reportedly "declared war on the U.N. and on Western non-governmental organizations" that distribute food aid in Somalia, killing 42 relief workers in the past two years of 2008 and 2009. It has been designated a terrorist organization by several western governments and security services, and described as having "ties to Al Qaeda ," which their leaders denied until early 2010 . Ali 2008, 'The Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahidiin: A profile of the first Somali terrorist organisation' , Institut für Strategie Politik Sicherheits und Wirtschaftsberatung (ISPSW), Berlin, Germany, June. " " Somali Islamists al-Shabab 'join al-Qaeda fight' " " .

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen ( HSM ; , Ḥarakat ash-Shabāb al-Mujāhidīn ; ; " Mujahideen Youth Movement", "Movement of Striving Youth"), more commonly known as Al-Shabaab ( ; meaning "The Youth" or "The Youngsters"), is a jihadist terrorist group based in Somalia . In 2012, it pledged allegiance to the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda . In February of the year, some of the group's leaders quarreled with Al-Qaeda over the union, and quickly lost ground. Al-Shabaab's troop strength was estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014. As of 2015, the group has retreated from the major cities, controlling a few rural areas. Al-Shabaab is an off-shoot of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which splintered into several smaller factions after its defeat in 2006 by Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the TFG's Ethiopian military allies. The group describes itself as waging jihad against "enemies of Islam", and is engaged in combat against the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). Al-Shabaab has been designated as a terrorist organization by Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. As of June 2012, the US State Department has open bounties on several of the group's senior commanders. In early August 2011, the Transitional Federal Government's troops and their AMISOM allies managed to capture all of Mogadishu from the Al-Shabaab militants. An ideological rift within the group's leadership also emerged, and several of the organization's senior commanders were assassinated. Due to its Wahhabi roots, Al Shabaab is hostile to Sufi traditions, and has often clashed with the militant Sufi group Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a . The group has also been suspected of having links with Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram . Additionally, it attracted some members from western countries, notably Samantha Lewthwaite and Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki . In August 2014, the Somali government-led Operation Indian Ocean was launched to clean up the remaining insurgent-held pockets in the countryside. On 1 September 2014, a U.S. drone strike carried out as part of the broader mission killed Al-Shabaab leader Moktar Ali Zubeyr . U.S. authorities hailed the raid as a major symbolic and operational loss for Al-Shabaab, and the Somali government offered a 45-day amnesty to all moderate members of the militant group. Political analysts also suggested that the insurgent commander's death will likely lead to Al-Shabaab's fragmentation and eventual dissolution. BBC News - Somalia's al-Shabab militants in 'deadly feud' . Ali 2008, 'The Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahidiin: A profile of the first Somali terrorist organisation' , Institut für Strategie Politik Sicherheits und Wirtschaftsberatung (ISPSW), Berlin, Germany, June. "SOMALIA: President says Godane is dead, now is the chance for the members of al-Shabaab to embrace peace" .

Somalia-based cell of the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen ( HSM ; ; , lit. ' Mujahideen Youth Movement' or 'Movement of Striving Youth'), more commonly known as al-Shabaab ( / æ l ʃ ə ˈ b ɑː b / ; ), is a terrorist, jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa . In 2012, it pledged allegiance to the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda . In February 2012, some of the group's leaders quarreled with Al-Qaeda over the union, and quickly lost ground. Al-Shabaab's troop strength was estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014. As of 2015, the group has retreated from the major cities; however, al-Shabaab still controls large parts of the rural areas. Al-Shabaab began as the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which later splintered into several smaller factions after its defeat in 2006 by Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the TFG's Ethiopian military allies. The group describes itself as waging jihad against "enemies of Islam", and is engaged in combat against the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). Al-Shabaab has been designated as a terrorist organization by Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. It's reported that members of the International Bounty Hunter Union are actively hunting several of the groups leaders including an American Jehad Serwan Mostafa As of June 2012, the US State Department has open bounties on several of the group's senior commanders . In early August 2011, the Transitional Federal Government's troops and their AMISOM allies managed to capture all of Mogadishu from the al-Shabaab militants. An ideological rift within the group's leadership also emerged, and several of the organization's senior commanders were assassinated . Due to its Wahhabi roots, al-Shabaab is hostile to Sufi traditions and has often clashed with the militant Sufi group Ahlu Sunna Waljama'a . The group has also been suspected of having links with Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram . It attracted some members from western countries, including Samantha Lewthwaite and Abu Mansoor Al-Amriki . In August 2014, the Somali government-led Operation Indian Ocean was launched to clean up the remaining insurgent-held pockets in the countryside. On 1 September 2014, a US drone strike carried out as part of the broader mission killed al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane , also known as Mukhtar Abu Zubair. U.S. authorities hailed the raid as a major symbolic and operational loss for al-Shabaab, and the Somali government offered a 45-day amnesty to all moderate members of the militant group. The group remains nonetheless strong and active, and is responsible for many terrorist attacks with high death tolls including the September 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack , 14 October 2017 Mogadishu bombings and December 2019 Mogadishu bombing . "Kenyan troops seize al-Shabaab base in Somalia" . 25 October 2015. The New York Times . The New York Times . Ali 2008, "The Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahidiin: A profile of the first Somali terrorist organisation" , Institut für Strategie Politik Sicherheits und Wirtschaftsberatung (ISPSW), Berlin, Germany, June. "SOMALIA: President says Godane is dead, now is the chance for the members of al-Shabaab to embrace peace" .

Somalia-based Islamist movement affiliated with al-Qaeda Not to be confused with Al-Shabaab (Mozambique) . Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen , commonly known as al-Shabaab , is a Sunni Islamist military and political organization based in Somalia and active elsewhere in East Africa . It is actively involved in the ongoing Somali Civil War and incorporates elements of Somali nationalism into its Islamist cause. Allegiant to the militant pan-Islamist organization al-Qaeda since 2012, it has also been suspected of forging ties with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb , and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula . Formed in the mid-2000s as part of the Islamic Courts Union , al-Shabaab came to prominence during the 2006–2009 Somalia War , during which it presented itself as a vehicle for the waging of armed resistance against the occupying Ethiopian army. In subsequent years, it gained popular support from Somalis and became a dominant force in south and central Somalia, defending large swathes of territory by fighting against the African Union Mission to Somalia and the Federal Government of Somalia , as well as the latter's transitional predecessor . Al-Shabaab gained international prominence due to its recruitment of foreign fighters, including fighters who are from Western countries . Countries including the United States , the United Kingdom , and the United Arab Emirates have designated it as a terrorist organization , and the United States has militarily intervened in order to fight against the group. Between 2011 and 2013, a coalition which mostly consisted of East African forces, led by the Somali government, wrested a significant amount of territory from al-Shabaab, including the capital city, Mogadishu . During the same period, the group was plagued by internal conflicts over its leadership and ideological direction, which intensified when, in February 2012, al-Shabaab's leadership pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. It suffered further military losses in 2014, as a result of Operation Indian Ocean , and the killing of its emir , Ahmed Abdi Godane , in an American drone strike, as well as the killing of other leaders. It is responsible for many high-fatality attacks, such as the 2013 Westgate shopping mall attack and the October 2017 Mogadishu bombings . Apart from its activities in Somalia, the group also operates in other East African countries, extending its insurgency to Kenya's border regions and carrying out an incursion into Ethiopia in late July 2022. Attendant to its recent resurgence, it was estimated to have increased its combat strength to between 7,000 and 12,000 fighters in February 2022. "What drives Al-Shabaab in Somalia: foreign forces out, Sharia law in and overthrow the government" . The RUSI Journal . 154 (4). Somalia's neighbours are threatened by Al-Shabaab's blending of irredentist Greater Somalia rhetoric with Islamist ideology ... Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel" . "What drives Al-Shabaab in Somalia: foreign forces out, Sharia law in and overthrow the government" . Al-Shabaab's outspokenness against foreign forces resonated with deep-rooted Somali hostility against Ethiopia and broader nationalist narratives that existed.. Ultimately, this served as an incredible recruitment tool. Here's what these troops are doing there" . Somali military officials maintain that Iran has been running secret operations to undermine the United States in Somalia, providing sophisticated weapons, improvised explosive devices, mortars, and chemicals used to make bombs. The military officials allege that Iran and its proxies are complicit in al-Shabab attacks on the U.S. military, Somali forces, and the African Union Mission in Somalia "The Growing Relationship between Iran and al-Shabab Movement in Somalia: Motives and Potential Consequences" . Tehran has developed an unspoken alliance with Al-Shabaab with the aim of creating a covert intelligence network that will allow it to achieve its goals and support its interests in the Middle East and Africa. The Quds Force has been working with agents and allies, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah and Somalia's Al-Shabaab, which are thought to have recently established relations with the Quds Force. Somali police and finance ministry officials claim the Quds Force uses these networks to smuggle Iranian oil into Somalia and then sell cheap oil across Africa to subvert U.S. sanctions, with some of the proceeds used to support militants in Yemen and Somalia Bartell, Dawn L.; Gray, David H. Global Security Studies . 3 (4): 100– 112. Qatar has allegedly used al-Shabab to target groups it has identified as opposing its interests, including Somali politicians critical of Doha's role in the country and outside actors like the United Arab Emirates Lynch, Colum (28 November 2012). Qatar's cultivation of African Islamists, principally Somalia's al-Shabab insurgents, has similarly troubled the United States, which has accused the movement of providing a haven for al-Qaeda militants involved in attacks against Americans Mustafa, Singh, Awad, Karam (2 August 2017). Qatari individuals and government representatives are reported to have been in regular contact with Al-Qaeda and its affiliates in Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen in order to exert geopolitical influence Multiple sources: Houreld, Katharine (10 November 2021). Guns supplied by Iran to its Houthi allies in Yemen are being smuggled across the Gulf of Aden to Somalia, according to a Geneva-based think tank, where al Qaeda-linked al Shabab insurgents are battling a weak and divided government. Iran has established links with the jihadist group Al-Shabaab in Somalia to attack United States and other international forces in the African country and the region and to supply arms to Houthi rebels in Yemen Fazeli, Yaghoub (19 July 2020). There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a template (see the help page ).