Background of Al-Shabaab
warlords against the Islamic Courts and the subsequent military intervention into Somalia
by Ethiopian military forces.
Al-Shabaab’s very name, the Youth, is an important indicator of its program. The
older generation of Somali clan and political leaders has failed over the past twenty years
to restore stability and respectability to Somalia. Al-Shabaab is an attempt to rally a
young generation of Somalis around a new religious organizing concept that it argues
will bring a brighter future to Somalia. It makes the argument that the older generation of
Somalis ruined the country and it is up to al-Shabaab to restore it. Al-Shabaab’s
interpretation of religion also provides a different way for young Somalis to confront
globalization.
The leadership is also committed to a global jihadist ideology and a plan for
creating a Somali Caliphate. One of its goals is the implementation of a draconian
version of sharia, although actual sharia rulings seem to vary from one al-Shabaab
controlled part of Somalia to another. These decisions have included beheadings, stoning
of adulterers and limb amputations of criminals. At the same time, al-Shabaab engages in
activities that many Somalis deem useful such as clearing roadblocks, repairing roads,
building infrastructure, organizing markets and restoring a semblance of law and order
according to its strict edicts. Its rhetoric relies heavily on a call for social justice for all
Somalis.
So far, al-Shabaab’s agenda and attacks have been confined to the wider Somali
region, although the foiled attack against a military base in Australia by persons linked to
al-Shabaab raises a question whether it had any direction from al-Shabaab leadership in
Somalia. The al-Shabaab spokesman in Somalia denied any connection. Al-Shabaab
also relies on pan-Somali nationalism to attract support and recruits and may eventually
resurrect as a major part of its program Somali irredentism in neighboring Kenya,
Ethiopia and Djibouti where there are large Somali populations. There may be some
tension between its call for pan-Somali nationalism and pan-Islamic goals.
Al-Shabaab Operations
concept.” He lamented the long time it takes al-Shabaab at the local level to make a
decision.
Al-Shabaab probably can put several thousand fighters into action in Somalia.
They are especially adept at hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and indiscriminate attacks in
urban areas such as Mogadishu. Estimates on the number of foreign fighters who have
joined al-Shabaab vary widely. TFG President Ahmed recently said the number of
foreign fighters totals between 800 and 1,100. Most outside experts who follow al-
Shabaab put the number at several hundred. In addition, there are an undetermined
number of Somalis from the diaspora who have joined the organization, including several
dozen from the United States and Canada.
Suicide bombings have become commonplace in Somalia since 2006. Al-
Shabaab has taken responsibility for at least a dozen of them and is believed to have
perpetrated several others. Most of the al-Shabaab attacks have been aimed at Ethiopian
soldiers, African Union troops and TFG officials and security personnel to achieve a
strategic political and/or military advantage. Al-Shabaab denied responsibility for a
heinous attack on a graduating university class in Mogadishu early in December that also
killed three TFG ministers. This attack caused outrage among many Somalis.
The al-Shabaab denial is not credible; it is the only organization in Somalia that
has a track record for suicide bombings. No other Somali organization has published
suicide videos or claimed responsibility for suicide attacks. Al-Shabaab has published on
the Internet detailed information showing a number of its suicide bombings. Until the
arrival of al-Shabaab in Somalia, there was no Somali tradition of suicide bombing.
Several of the suicide bombers have been foreigners, including at least one Somali-
American.
Evaluating Al-Shabaab