AFRICOM launches ‘self-defense’ airstrikes against Shabaab in Somalia
AFRICOM has launched four airstrikes against Al Qaeda's branch in Somalia this month as it continues to provide air support for the Somali National Army. Read more →
AFRICOM has launched four airstrikes against Al Qaeda's branch in Somalia this month as it continues to provide air support for the Somali National Army. Read more →
In the face of delayed or stalled offensive action taken against it, Shabaab seeks to rally its forces. Read more →
Though Somalia says the raid was repelled, the major attack nevertheless came just days after a similar raid was conducted on a Ugandan military base in southern Somalia. Read more →
The massive raid comes as Shabaab is facing its biggest challenge to its rule and territory in over a decade. Read more →
The U.S. military targeted Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East... Read more →
Mohamoud Abdi Aden is the second Kenyan-Somali the U.S. State Department has placed a $10 million bounty on in the last week. Shabaab now has five leaders with $10 million bounties, the most for any Sunni jihadist group. Read more →
The U.S. has now placed a $10 million bounty on Maalim Ayman, the leader of Shabaab's military wing in Kenya. Maalim Ayman now joins the ranks of other high-profile Sunni jihadis around the world demanding a similar price tag. Read more →
Another hotel siege perpetrated by Shabaab in Mogadishu was ended by Somali security forces almost twenty four hours after it began. The al Qaeda branch continues to lash out against civilians in response to military operations against it. Read more →
Shabaab killed at least 100 people at the same place where it killed upwards of 500 civilians almost exactly five years ago. Read more →
Shabaab unsurprisingly framed the terrorist attack as retaliation for the current military operations against it across the country. Read more →
Nine individuals were designated by the U.S. Treasury Department while an additional five were also blacklisted by the U.S. State Department. Read more →
Abdullahi Yare was a founding leader of Shabaab, had a $3 million reward out for his capture, and is the first senior Shabaab leader killed in more than two years. Read more →
Shabaab faces one of the largest counter-offensives against it in recent years. However, to be successful, Somalia must also work to effectively hold liberated areas and not just conduct clearing operations. Read more →
The recent drone strike comes as the Somali National Army (SNA) mounts a large offensive against Shabaab in Somalia’s central Hiraan Region. Read more →
The Sanaag Region, a territory contested by both Somalia and Somaliland, witnessed its first suicide bombing yesterday. No group has officially taken credit, though Shabaab is widely suspected given its history in the area. Read more →
Shabaab's recent hotel siege in Mogadishu, beginning on Friday and ending early Sunday, signals the severe challenges that remain in combating the al Qaeda branch. Read more →
Since resuming military activity inside Somalia earlier this year, the Biden Administration has ramped up the pace of airstrikes in the Horn of Africa country in recent weeks. Since June 3, the US has conducted at least six airstrikes against Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa. Read more →
New reporting has shed new light on Shabaab's recent incursions into Ethiopia. However, many perplexing elements remain uncovered. Read more →
In addition to recently striking two Ethiopian outposts inside Somalia right on the border with Ethiopia, Shabaab also launched a three-day incursion into Ethiopia itself. On the Ethiopian side, officials from the Somali Region have stated that Shabaab was attempting to assist an ethnic Oromo insurgent group. This claim is likely dubious but follows a clear historical precedent. Read more →
Zawahiri lives. The Taliban-Al Qaeda alliance remains strong. The leaders of Al Qaeda's branches in North and East Africa have assumed roles in Al Qaeda's line of succession. Read more →
On May 15, Somalia completed its election process, selecting Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president. Sheikh previously served as president of Somalia from 2012 until 2017 and defeated the incumbent Farmajo in a long-awaited and contentious election. Read more →
Shabaab claims it killed 173 Burundian troops in a large-scale assault on a military base in southern Somalia. Neither the African Union nor Burundi has commented on Shabaab's casualty numbers. Read more →
Shabaab again highlights operations from its urban assassination unit in Mogadishu. In doing so, it places these killings in the context of the wider global jihad. Read more →
Shabaab attempted to kill Somalia's police chief in yet another suicide bombing in the Somali capital. Read more →
Host Bill Roggio is joined by two Long War Journal regulars, Caleb Weiss and Andrew Tobin, to give listeners an update on what's happening on the ground in Africa from the Sahel — including that more than 400 Malians have been slaughtered in under one month — to "elections" and Shabaab attacks in Somalia. Read more →
The dual suicide bombings targeting an election site in central Somalia comes just one day after a brazen attack on a large military base in Mogadishu. Read more →
One week after a series of suicide bombings in Mogadishu, the US conducts its first drone strike against al-Shabaab since August 2021. Read more →
Shabaab launched near simultaneous assaults across 5 areas of Mogadishu and its suburbs, showing the group's continued strength as Somalia preps for its upcoming presidential election. Read more →
Terrorists haven't launched major attacks in Somaliland in more than a decade. However, this does not mean it doesn't face any real threats from Shabaab or the Islamic State. Read more →
Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss a new message... Read more →
The bombing appears to have been part of a larger effort against Somalia's main intelligence apparatus. Read more →
Shabaab, al Qaeda's branch in East Africa, continues to conduct a high operational tempo inside northeastern Kenya. Read more →
Shabaab has controlled the central Somali town of Bacaadweyne for over a month thanks to a forced political deal with the local clan. Read more →
Shabaab, al Qaeda's branch in East Africa, uses recent reports concerning potential problems with the AstraZeneca vaccine to present itself as a legitimate governing force. Read more →
Shabaab says it freed more than 400 prisoners from the central prison of Bosaso in northern Somalia, however, this number remains unconfirmed. The group also reiterates that prison assaults are one of its main goals in its fight against the Somali state. Read more →
The governor of Kenya's Mandera County recently stated that Shabaab is controlling "over 50 percent' of northern Kenya and "more than 60 percent" of Mandera. Kenyan authorities have quickly scrambled to contradict these claims. Read more →
Shabaab killed several military officials in a suicide bombing today in Galkayo. This is just the latest in a renewed assassination campaign that has targeted a wide range of high profile Somali leaders this year. Read more →
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday that Cholo Abdi Abdullah, a 30-year-old Kenyan national, has been charged with plotting a 9/11-style attack inside the U.S. Abdullah allegedly served as an “operative” for Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa. Read more →
Hosts Tom Joscelyn and Bill Roggio discuss President Trump's decision to order the withdrawal of a small American force from Somalia. Shabaab, al Qaeda's branch in East Africa, will continue to fight on, waging an insurgency against the Somali government while threatening countries throughout the region and possibly elsewhere as well. Read more →
The effort to degrade and contain Shabaab without will be all the more difficult without a U.S. presence in the country. Read more →
Shabaab briefly occupied a Somali military base and its adjacent town yesterday following a major assault in central Somalia. Read more →
At least one US soldier was wounded in the blast, while two Somali troops were also killed. This is the third time the group has reported clashing with American troops inside Somalia since Aug. 24. Read more →
Despite decrying America’s role in “endless wars,” President Trump recently defended the role of a small U.S. force in the country. Read more →
In two days, Shabaab has launched two suicide assaults across southern Somalia. Additionally, it continues to target high-ranking government officials in a renewed assassination campaign. Read more →
Shabaab's suicide bombing against Somalia's top general is the latest in the group's recent attacks against government officials. The bombing also continues the current spate of increased suicide bombings across the country. Read more →
In the span of four days, the Al Qaeda branch has claimed the use of two suicide car bombings on Somali and Turkish military bases in two different areas of Somalia. Read more →
The month of May saw a relative spike in Islamic State claims inside Somalia compared to earlier months. However, this comes in the backdrop of several Puntland security operations against it. Read more →
The Al Qaeda branch claims its men enacted "heavy losses" to AMISOM and Kenyan troops in southern Somalia. African Union troops and the Somali government have stated otherwise, however. Read more →
AFRICOM has stepped up its air campaign against Shabaab since the beginning of the year, targeting the group 33 times. Read more →
U.S. Africa Command said it killed the Shabaab commander was "in charge of planning and directing terrorist operations" along the Kenyan border, including the raid on the Manda Bay Airfield. Three Americans were killed in that attack. Read more →