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  • Analysis: Shabaab takes advantage of slowed counter-offensive

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    Jun 12, 2023

    In the face of delayed or stalled offensive action taken against it, Shabaab seeks to rally its forces.

    Analysis: Shabaab takes advantage of slowed counter-offensive
  • Another long hotel siege ends in Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Nov 28, 2022

    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.

    Another long hotel siege ends in Mogadishu
  • Shabaab kills over 100 people in suicide bombings in Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Oct 31, 2022

    Shabaab killed at least 100 people at the same place where it killed upwards of 500 civilians almost exactly five years ago.

    Shabaab kills over 100 people in suicide bombings in Mogadishu
  • Analysis: Thirty hour long hotel siege emblematic of Somalia’s remaining security challenges

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    Aug 21, 2022

    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.

    Analysis: Thirty hour long hotel siege emblematic of Somalia’s remaining security challenges
  • Shabaab celebrates its assassinations in Mogadishu, jihadist attacks in the West

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    May 3, 2022

    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.

    Shabaab celebrates its assassinations in Mogadishu, jihadist attacks in the West
  • Shabaab targets Somali police chief in Mogadishu suicide bombing

    Caleb Weiss & Andrew Tobin

    News
    Apr 24, 2022

    Shabaab attempted to kill Somalia’s police chief in yet another suicide bombing in the Somali capital.

    Shabaab targets Somali police chief in Mogadishu suicide bombing
  • Shabaab attacks international hub in Mogadishu where U.S. Embassy is located

    Andrew Tobin

    News
    Mar 23, 2022

    Two Al Shabaab gunmen assaulted Halane military base near Mogadishu’s international airport, killing six.

    Shabaab attacks international hub in Mogadishu where U.S. Embassy is located
  • Shabaab launches simultaneous attacks across Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Feb 16, 2022

    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.

    Shabaab launches simultaneous attacks across Mogadishu
  • Shabaab takes credit for suicide bombing at a Mogadishu cafe

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Jul 2, 2021

    The bombing appears to have been part of a larger effort against Somalia’s main intelligence apparatus.

    Shabaab takes credit for suicide bombing at a Mogadishu cafe
  • Shabaab hits hotel, military base with suicide assaults

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Aug 17, 2020

    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.

    Shabaab hits hotel, military base with suicide assaults
  • Shabaab hits Somali, Turkish bases with suicide bombings

    Caleb Weiss

    News
    Jun 25, 2020

    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.

    Shabaab hits Somali, Turkish bases with suicide bombings
  • Shabaab tries to assassinate US diplomat

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Jul 24, 2019

    Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia, claims it tried to assassinate James Swan, a US diplomat and the UN Special Envoy to Somalia.

    Shabaab tries to assassinate US diplomat
  • Shabaab assassinates Deputy Labor Minister in Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Mar 24, 2019

    Shabaab’s suicide assault killed the Deputy Minister and 14 others in Mogadishu.

    Shabaab assassinates Deputy Labor Minister in Mogadishu
  • Shabaab raids hotel in Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Mar 2, 2019

    Shabaab has continued to demonstrate its ability to strike in heavily fortified areas of Mogadishu.

    Shabaab raids hotel in Mogadishu
  • Analysis: Islamic State expanded operations in Somalia in 2018

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    Jan 4, 2019

    The Islamic State’s loyalists claimed more operations in Somalia in 2018 than in 2016 and 2017 combined. The group has also expanded its operations to include tactics normally associated with its larger rival, Shabaab.

    Analysis: Islamic State expanded operations in Somalia in 2018
  • Shabaab targets Italian troops in Mogadishu with suicide bombing

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Oct 1, 2018

    Today’s suicide bombings marks one of the first times European Union troops have been targeted by Shabaab.

    Shabaab targets Italian troops in Mogadishu with suicide bombing
  • Shabaab attacks focus on Somali military, African Union forces

    Bill Roggio & Caleb Weiss

    News
    Sep 3, 2018

    Shabaab has managed to launch 418 attacks of different types during the six-month timeframe in support of its persistent and ongoing insurgency against Somalia’s weak central government and allied African Union forces.

    Shabaab attacks focus on Somali military, African Union forces
  • Shabaab targets presidential palace with suicide assault

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Jul 16, 2018

    Saturday’s suicide attack on the presidential compound in Mogadishu came just a week after a similar strike was conducted on Somalia’s Ministry of Interior.

    Shabaab targets presidential palace with suicide assault
  • Shabaab video details assassination unit in Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Jun 1, 2018

    The video is one of the first times that the Somali jihadist group has highlighted its assassinations within Mogadishu.

    Shabaab video details assassination unit in Mogadishu
  • Somali intelligence agency arrests two Islamic State members in Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    May 24, 2018

    The arrests come a month after another Islamic State member was arrested in Mogadishu. Additionally, the Islamic State also claimed another assassination inside the country yesterday.

    Somali intelligence agency arrests two Islamic State members in Mogadishu
  • Analysis: Islamic State ramps up attack claims in Somalia

    Caleb Weiss

    Analysis
    May 9, 2018

    The Islamic State has claimed several attacks inside Somalia in the past month, further outpacing the past two years in claimed attacks in the country. While the Islamic State has had a difficult time establishing a foothold inside the country, its claimed operations paints a picture of its areas of operation and types of operations it conducts.

    Analysis: Islamic State ramps up attack claims in Somalia
  • Shabaab claims deadly assault on presidential palace in Mogadishu

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Feb 25, 2018

    The coordinated suicide bombings and subsequent assaults are the first major attack of its kind to hit Mogadishu this year.

    Shabaab claims deadly assault on presidential palace in Mogadishu
  • Shabaab targets Somali police academy in suicide attack

    Bill Roggio & Caleb Weiss

    News
    Dec 14, 2017

    The explosion, which took place as Somail police were parading, killed at least 18 people and wounding at least another 15. Shabaab claimed credit for the attack.

    Shabaab targets Somali police academy in suicide attack
  • Jihadists hit Mogadishu with car bombs, suicide assault

    Bill Roggio & Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Oct 15, 2017

    Somali officials estimate that more than 200 people were killed in a pair of bombings and a suicide assault on a hotel in the Somali capital. Neither Shabaab nor the Islamic State has claimed credit for the deadly attacks, but Shabaab has targeted many hotels in Mogadishu using the same tactics.

    Jihadists hit Mogadishu with car bombs, suicide assault
  • Shabaab targets Mogadishu with series of car bombings

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Sep 11, 2017

    This year has seen at least 32 car bombings in Mogadishu, which represents an increase in this type of attack. Shabaab has claimed the vast majority, which have killed or wounded at least 242 people.

    Shabaab targets Mogadishu with series of car bombings
  • Shabaab suicide assault team takes hostages in Mogadishu restaurant

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Jun 15, 2017

    A Shabaab assault on a popular nightclub and restaurant in Mogadishu has left at least nine people dead and several others wounded. At least 20 people are still being held hostage inside the restaurant, according to local reports. Earlier today, a suicide car bomb detonated outside of a nightclub near the Posh Hotel leaving several people dead. Shortly after the blast, an assault team stormed the perimeter and entered a nearby restaurant. Somali police have stated that others died when the Shabaab militants opened fire on “stunned civilians who were sitting down for Iftar [a sundown meal breaking the fast for Ramadan].”…

    Shabaab suicide assault team takes hostages in Mogadishu restaurant
  • Shabaab suicide bombing strikes near presidential palace

    Caleb Weiss

    Threat Matrix
    Mar 22, 2017

    The suicide bombing, which killed at least 10 people, occurred just 150 meters from Villa Somalia, Somalia’s presidential palace in Mogadishu.

    Shabaab suicide bombing strikes near presidential palace
  • Shabaab continues to strike popular hotels in Mogadishu

    Bill Roggio & Caleb Weiss

    News
    Jun 2, 2016

    Al Qaeda’s official branch in East Africa continues to demonstrate that it can penetrate high security areas of Mogadishu. Two members of parliament were among 13 people killed in the latest attack on a hotel in the capital.

    Shabaab continues to strike popular hotels in Mogadishu
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  • Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank

    Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank

  • Profiles of 15 Iranian-backed Militias in the Middle East

    Profiles of 15 Iranian-backed Militias in the Middle East

  • Detailing Shabaab’s Leadership and Key Personnel

    Detailing Shabaab’s Leadership and Key Personnel

  • Al Qaeda leaders use Afghanistan as a safe haven

    Al Qaeda leaders use Afghanistan as a safe haven

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FDD's Long War Journal

FDD’s Long War Journal provides accurate reporting and analysis of ongoing efforts to address jihadism, conflicts between state and non-state actors, and warfare between states. This is accomplished through original reporting, including by embedded reporters, news aggregation, maps, podcasts, and other formats.

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