The history and ideology of a militant islamist group kindle edition by hansen, stig jarle. Al shabaab is an al qaedaaffiliated organization that has risen rapidly to prominence in the midst of somalias decadeslong anarchy. Counterterrorism and counterinsurgency in somalia rand. The alshabaab faces multiple internal divisions over clan, leadership, tactics, and ideology which a new unity government can exploit to convince parts of the al.
What the westgate mall attack truly reflects is a change in intent on behalf of al shabaabs leadership, rather than a. The alshabaab terrorist organisation are largely thought to be behind these last two attacks and were thus the main focal point of this discussion. Rather it is a wellstructured organization composed of several independent components. Ryne clos the united states has adopted a static and stark picture of alshabaab that has magnified the truly dangerous aspects of the organization and alienated dimensions of the movement that could contribute to a solution to somalias problems. According to media reports, the target was abdulkadir mohamed abdulkadir, known as ikrimah or ikrima, a commander said to be responsible for planning terrorist actions outside the countrys borders. Foreign service, including as ambassador to ethiopia and state department coordinator for somalia during the international intervention in.
Al shabaab center for strategic and international studies. Though it has stated many goals in the past, the group fights first and foremost to create a fundamentalist islamic state in the horn of africa jonathan masters and mohammed aly sergie. Amid the outrage against alshabaab, its important to recognise that terrorism does not happen outside of history. Shabaab popularity among the youth is at its lowest. Ethiopia, a part of the anti shabaab coalition, is somalias ancient. Tweet describes the photo as mujahideen of east africa. Alshabaabs composition is multiethnic, with its leadership positions mainly occupied by afghanistan and iraqtrained ethnic somalis and foreigners. Background report alshabaab attack on garissa university in kenya on thursday, april 2, gunmen attacked garissa university in eastern kenya, near the border with somalia. Pdf this article sets out to explore the evolution, operational strategy and. Alshabaab literally meaning the youngsters was the radical, hard.
Alshabaab seeks the creation of an islamic emirate of somalia, to include somalia, somaliland, puntland, northeastern kenya, the ogaden region of ethiopia and djibouti. Pdf countering the alshabaab insurgency in somalia. Originally the small, youth militia arm of a relatively moderate islamist organization. If all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Al shabab, or the youth, is an islamist insurgent group based in somalia. This chapter examines al shabaabs historical evolution. Alshabaab is an officially recognised affiliate of, and ideologically aligned with, proscribed terrorist group alqaida. Radicalisation and alshabaab recruitment in somalia. Marka has signalled the death knell for al shabaabs domestic territorial integrity.
Al shabaab definitely has a hierarchal structure, since each unit answers to a central leader. The results show that al shabaabs declaration of cooperation with al qaeda in august 2008 was brought about by a series of events that traced back to four factors. In this chapter, i identify three periods of alshabaabs history in which leadership. Al shabaab has been designated as a terrorist organization by australia, canada, norway, sweden, the united kingdom and the usa. Country of origin information report on south and central somalia. However, now alshabaab has stated that following kenyan. Pdf on apr 4, 2014, james forest and others published countering the alshabaab insurgency in somalia. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Witnesses say that alshabaab beheaded civilians during the attack. Al shabaab is composed of many independent cells, units and divisions, which answer to multiple figureheads.
Al shabaab arabic for the youth, an islamic militant group that seeks to create an islamic state in somalia, formed in 2004 as the militant wing of the islamic courts union icu, a network of islamist militant tribes. Alshabaab fighters at a somali training camp, in an image taken from a video released by the group in 2009. However, the al shabaab is not politically organized. They use many forms of terrorism that include ideological. On october 5, 20, american commandos raided a base of the islamic militant group alshabab in southern somalia. Roland marchal senior research fellow at cnrs sciencespo. 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.
Civilians and not only educated and westernized somalis are leaving some areas controlled by this group. 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. Amisom operations against al shabaab were enhanced in 2015 by u. Harakat al shabaab is somalias infamous though underresearched militant islamist group. Read the full comprehensive report, al shabaabs american recruits pdf.
Alshabab, chaos in somalia and international terrorism. The history and ideology of a militant islamist group, 20052012 stig jarle hansen on. The history and ideology of a militant islamist group, 20052012. The islamic state warns shabaab that it will respond to the groups campaign targeting abu bakr al baghdadis loyalists in somalia. The organisation known as alshabaab originally emerged from the islamic courts union icu movement in somalia. A history of somalias insurgent movement it was formed in 2006 by young men and until recently controlled most of southern somalia but now its control of home territory has.
Alshabaab is an armed social organization and movement that has expertly framed the somali conflagration in. The government of canada lists alshabaab as a terrorist group, saying it is an organized but shifting islamist group dedicated to establishing a somali caliphate, waging war against the enemies of islam, and removing all foreign forces and western influence from. It is a golden chance for alshabaab to pick itself up off the mat. Pdf on apr 4, 2014, james forest and others published countering the al shabaab insurgency in somalia.
Abstract humanitarian response to the ongoing complex emergency in somalia is being further complicated by the actions of the terrorist group alshabaab. Alshabaab is a multiethnic militant group out of somalia that uses many terrorist tactics in attempts to gain control over the country of somalia. Aqam futures project case study series july 2011 project. The absence of a second major attack and the start of a major offensive against al shabaab in fall 2011 led many to dismiss the kampala bombings. It once held sway over the capital of mogadishu and large portions of the somali countryside, but in. According to the national counterterrorism center, the groups rankandfile members hail from disparate local groups, sometimes recruited by force. A strategic analysis of al shabaab john edward maszka submitted. On june 8th, alshabaab fighters attacked a military base in puntland, a semiautonomous region in somalia. Al shabaab voiced its intent and increasingly demonstrates its capability to conduct attacks throughout east africa. Alshabaab continued to extend the area under its control in 2009, banning behaviours that it deemed unislamic and implementing punishments including beheading, stoning, and amputation for offenders.
The attack comes on the heels of somali authorities recent. Al shabaabs american recruits antidefamation league. Counterterrorism and counterinsurgency in somalia assessing the campaign against al shabaab seth g. 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. Historical background to the development of alshabaab. A wave of americans traveling to somalia to fight with al shabaab, an al qaedalinked terrorist group, has been described by the fbi as one of the highest priorities in antiterrorism. Alshabaab terrorists propaganda and the kenya government. In july 2010 alshabaab suicide bombers staged the groups first major attack outside somalia, killing about 75 people gathered in kampala, uganda, to watch a screening of a world cup football. How somalias al shabaab turned against its own foreign. Forest have determined that al sha baab is aided in its quest by some fundamental realities of somali culture and history.
This research sought to uncover the answers to the following questions. The jihadist group claims to have killed 61 in the assault though somali officials put the death toll at 38. Alshabaab also demands protection money from somaliabased businesses, and conducts its own business activities trading in and taxing revenue from locally available resources. The attackers killed 147 and injured 79 before detonating suicide vests when cornered by security forces. The history and ideology of a militant islamist group.
Fighters from somalis alshabaab have continually surprised observers, who predicted their downfall early on guy alexander sat 21 sep 20 18. The group has experienced two dramatic transformations in its short history. Al shabaabs history with humanitarian assistance katherine zimmerman the united nations recently declared that there is a famine in lower shabelle and bakool regions and nearfamine conditions throughout southern somalia. Alshabaab s composition is multiethnic, with its leadership positions mainly occupied by afghanistan and iraqtrained ethnic somalis and foreigners. 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. Emotions may play against alshabaab today but one should not exclude that alshabaab reasserts itself because of. In july 2010 alshabaab suicide bombers staged the groups first major attack outside somalia, killing about 75 people gathered in kampala, uganda, to watch a screening of a world cup. That is certainly true of alshabaab, which was born out of the islamic court. Unlike most of the organizations top leaders, its foot soldiers are primarily concerned with.
Its first major international attack was in july 2010, when al shabaab carried out twin suicide bombings in kampala, uganda. But the al qaeda branch has stepped up its antiislamic state operations again in recent weeks. More worrying for al shabaab, the united states has learned of links between the group and iran, uganda and eritrean governments20. 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. Pdf tracing al shabaabs decision to cooperate with al. Forest have determined that alsha baab is aided in its quest by some fundamental realities of somali culture and history.
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. The alshabaab is regarded as one of the most dangerous african terrorist organizations. Al shabaab arabic for the youth is an islamic militant group that seeks to create an islamic state in somalia. S oon after joining al shabaab, ibrahim met the most famous american fighter in somali history a young u. August 31, 2015 photo of an al shabaab brigade tweeted from an islamic state affiliated twitter account. 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. Shabaab has been executing and arresting defectors who join the islamic state since 2015. Ethiopia, a part of the antishabaab coalition, is somalias ancient. Al shabaab has not given up its ambition to control greater somalia.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading alshabaab in somalia. The history of alshabaab south african history online. It is a golden chance for al shabaab to pick itself up off the mat. Alshababs ideology is typically described as a brand of salafism and wahhabism that supports takfir, the excommunication of apostates or unbelievers.