Ethiopia, a part of the antishabaab coalition, is somalias ancient. Alshabab, or the youth, is an alqaidalinked militant group and u. Al shabaab is an al qaedaaffiliated organization that has risen rapidly to prominence in the midst of somalias decadeslong anarchy. While alshabaab lost control of some key towns, it maintains control over large swathes of territory, and many key transport routes. Al shabaabs foreign threat to somalia by david shinn david shinn is an adjunct professor in the elliott school of international affairs at george washington university. Alshabaab attack kills dozens of ugandan soldiers in somalia up to 46 ugandan peacekeepers died in suicide car bomb attack by islamist militants published. While al shabaab is most active in somalia, it has also committed numerous attacks in kenya, which has contributed troops to military missions in somalia and hosts large numbers of somali refugees.
The number of casualties caused by alshabaab increased at an even greater rate. Originally the small, youth militia arm of a relatively moderate islamist organization. Hansens remarkable book attempts to go beyond the media headlines and simplistic analyses based on alarmist or localist narratives and, by employing intensive. Al shabaab center for strategic and international studies. Alshabaab, at least for a time, was the most favored and successful of al qaedas socalled affiliates, racking up impressive victories and controlling large areas of.
Since it emerged from the islamic courts union icu in 2007, al shabaab has carried out more than 1700 terrorist. The history and ideology of a militant islamist group. Inside al shabaab is the definitive history of the somali militant group, rich with newly disclosed details about the groups genesis and its ties to al qaeda. The al shabaab variously spelled shabab and shebaab terrorist group, an al qaedaaffiliated organization with roots in somalia, attacked shoppers in a nairobi, kenya mall this weekend. The article argues that alshababs latest westgate attack in kenya should be understood in the light of the groups deepening ties with alqaeda and its global jihad, especially since 2009. Power sharing and the negotiated settlement of civil wars caroline a.
A remarkable book based on intensive field research as well as on the. As a result, his description of events carries a powerful sense of legitimacy. The history and ideology of a militant islamist group kindle edition by hansen, stig jarle. Marka has signalled the death knell for al shabaabs domestic territorial integrity. Al shabaabs american recruits antidefamation league. Modern history of al shabaab while much of the icus leadership quickly fled the advancing ethiopians, members of al shabaab instead retreated into the swampy south of the country, from where they launched a bloody guerilla campaign against the ethiopian military in somalia. Radicalisation and alshabaab recruitment in somalia. They shot and killed one of the abductees, burkhaba deputy district commissioner ibrahim shaati laawe, and they continued to hold the other official at years end. Originally the small, youth militia arm of a relatively moderate islamist organization that rose to power in somalia in early 2006, al shabaab was radicalized and brought to.
Leader of alshabaab in mogadishu sheikh ali mohamed hussein. The organisation known as alshabaab originally emerged from the islamic courts union icu movement in somalia. Aqam futures project case study series july 2011 project. Alshabaab and somalias spreading famine council on. The jihadist group claims to have killed 61 in the assault though somali officials put the death toll at 38.
The history and ideology of a militant islamist group, 20052012 stig jarle hansen isbn. The intervention from ethiopia, a longtime enemy of somalia, is considered to have radicalized alshabab and perhaps pushed it into the arms of. On april 19, alshabaab members abducted two officials in burkhaba, bay region. Al shabaab has a long history of insurgent and terrorist operations in the region, and it has long possessed the ability to conduct such an attack in nairobi. This book explores the history of the somalia based al harakat al shabaab from 2005 to 2012, offering the first indetail history of one of the most important al qaeda affiliates today and the first to conquer large territories. Its a great introduction for those new to the topic, but its also a landmark work and absolutely required reading for those who study and work to counter terrorism. He has put together a remarkably a remarkably detailed account of alshabaabs history and until the distant and unlikely day when something better comes along, alshabaab in somalia is the definitive book on the subject. Dr hansen welcomed the opportunity to present his book al shabaab in. Draws on interviews from former alshabaab militants and commanders, us relat. Historical background to the development of alshabaab. Alshabaab, the al qaedaaligned militia in somalia, is experiencing some of the most successful months of its recent history.
Despite military gains against somalias islamist group alshabaab, the insurgents defeat will remain elusive until the somali government and its international partners address longstanding social often clanbased grievances through parallel local and national processes, as the basis for the revival of conventional governmental authority. Harakat al shabaab is somalias infamous though underresearched militant islamist group. It once held sway over the capital of mogadishu and large portions of the somali countryside, but in. Alshabaabs composition is multiethnic, with its leadership positions mainly occupied by afghanistan and iraqtrained ethnic somalis and foreigners. Al shabab al arabi club beirut, a lebanese association football club. Western policies towards somalia and alshabaab, there is no political space for dissidents. While at the beginning white foreign jihadists were present alongside alshabaab, over the last year and half there seems to.
Al shabaab arabic for the youth is an islamic militant group that seeks to create an islamic state in somalia. What the westgate mall attack truly reflects is a change in intent on behalf of al shabaabs leadership, rather than a. The origins and current status of the armed group al shabab including their use of child soldiers is explained by somali expert abdi samatar, professor and. They also clearly show al shabaab s relevance within the global jihadist scene. Al shabab, or the youth, is an islamist insurgent group based in somalia. According to the national counterterrorism center, the groups rankandfile members hail from disparate local groups, sometimes recruited by force. The secret history of alqaedas most powerful ally by harun maruf. List of books and articles about somali history online. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Roland marchal senior research fellow at cnrs sciencespo. On june 8th, alshabaab fighters attacked a military base in puntland, a semiautonomous region in somalia. Contrary to historical terrorism scholarship, terrorist groups can. Despite military pressure and global efforts to starve it of financing, the group continues to operate effectively, allowing it.
Background report alshabaab attack on garissa university. The history of alshabaab south african history online. The history and ideology of a militant islamist group, 20052012 article pdf available in african affairs april 2014 with 167 reads how we measure reads. Pdf on apr 4, 2014, james forest and others published countering the al shabaab insurgency in somalia. There had been rhetorical ties between al qaeda and al shabaab before, most notably in september 2009 when al shabaabs leader, ahmed abdi godane mukhtar abu zubair, pledged baya, allegiance. Foreign service, including as ambassador to ethiopia and state department coordinator for somalia during the international intervention in. Pdf countering the alshabaab insurgency in somalia. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading alshabaab in somalia. Try searching on jstor for other items related to this book. The alshabaab is preparing itself to be battle ready and be a strong force that can be able to overcome the au troops and any other troops that may come to somali to fight them and their ideologies. The february 9, 2012 announcement that al shabaab had become part of al qaeda revealed some of the fracture lines within al shabaabs leadership. Alshabaab literally meaning the youngsters was the radical, hard. Alshabaab in somalia is a judicious and timely study of a poorly understood militant islamist group.
Alshabaab fighters at a somali training camp, in an image taken from a video released by the group in 2009. A brave attempt to both historicize and scrutinize alshabaab, it is a mustread for anyone wishing to understand a group that has unleashed havoc in parts of africa. The alshabaab terrorist organisation are largely thought to be behind these last two attacks and were thus the main focal point of this discussion. The authors embed the groups history into the larger one of political islam in somalia and beyond. Alshabaab terrorists propaganda and the kenya government. The number of attacks attributed to alshabaab has increased rapidly from less than 10 in 2007 to more than 800 in 2014. Somalias growing famine partly stems from a global failure to act on warning signs, but its exacerbated by militant group alshabaab, factions of. In this report, the authors argue that al shabaab s current prospects have probably never been so low. The group has experienced two dramatic transformations in its short history. Abstract humanitarian response to the ongoing complex emergency in somalia is being further complicated by the actions of the terrorist group alshabaab. Jones is the latest in a series of al shabaab supporters wanted by the fbi or who have been. Witnesses say that alshabaab beheaded civilians during the attack. Al shabaab is linked to al qaeda both ideologically and through leadership contacts, training and joint operations in the horn of africa, according to u.
Alshabaab or alshabab ashshabab is an arabic phrase meaning the youth. Maruf, harun, and dan joseph 2018, inside alshabaab. The icu began as a loose grouping of sharia courts that by 2006 had grown into a powerful islamic militia which enjoyed control over much of southern somalia. This research sought to uncover the answers to the following questions. More worrying for al shabaab, the united states has learned of links between the group and iran, uganda and eritrean governments20. This work provides a meaningful context to al shabaab and the somali milieu. The attack comes on the heels of somali authorities recent.