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US, UAE conducting airstrikes in northern Somalia
The United States and the United Arab Emirates are conducting airstrikes in northern Somalia in support of Puntland’s military offensive against the local Islamic State branch. Tracking UAE’s strikes in particular, however, is difficult.
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Islamic State release highlights the foreign-fighter nature of its recent assault in Somalia
The Islamic State released images of 12 men who took part in its recent suicide assault in northern Somalia. All of them were foreign fighters, showing the growing internationalization of this Islamic State wing.
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Analysis: Puntland forces repel Islamic State suicide assault
In a rare assault, the Islamic State Somalia (ISS) tried—and ultimately failed—to oust Puntland Security Forces (PSF) from a PSF base earlier today. Nonetheless, the attack represents how ISS is growing in strength and capacity.
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Islamic State describes intense campaign against Shabaab in northern Somalia
The Islamic State documents at least 36 clashes between its men and Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s East African wing, between March and December 2023.
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Analysis: U.S. Military kills key Islamic State leader in Africa
U.S. Special Operations Forces killed Bilal al-Sudani, a key Islamic State operative responsible for coordinating the group’s finances and activities across central, eastern, and southern Africa (and beyond).
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Contested area of northern Somalia witnesses rare suicide bombing
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.
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Shabaab kills dozens in twin suicide bombings targeting Somalia’s election process
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.
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Analysis: Somaliland’s lingering jihadi threat
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.
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Shabaab mounts prison break in northern Somalia
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.
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US launches airstrike on Islamic State in Somalia
Yesterday’s drone strike was the first US airstrike on the Islamic State in Somalia this year.
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Islamic State in Somalia suffers setbacks despite uptick in claimed activity
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.
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Shabaab moves into Somaliland town
Shabaab claims this is the first time the organization has grabbed territory in Somaliland.
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Islamic State trains in Somalia’s Puntland
The camp is at least the second one ran by the Islamic State in Somalia’s northern Puntland region.
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Analysis: Islamic State expanded operations in Somalia in 2018
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.
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Islamic State video purportedly shows fight with Shabaab
The Islamic State released its first video footage of a clash with Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in Somalia and East Africa.
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Shabaab attacks focus on Somali military, African Union forces
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.
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Analysis: Islamic State ramps up attack claims in Somalia
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.
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Islamic State video promotes Somali arm, incites attacks during holidays
On Dec. 25, the Islamic State released a video promoting its fighters in Somalia and inciting attacks in the West. The group’s propagandists referred to the cadre as the Islamic State’s Somali “province.”
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Shabaab details last week’s deadly assault in northern Somalia
The raid shows that while Shabaab is largely focused in central and southern Somalia, it continues to be a threat in the north as well.
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Islamic State claims suicide bombing in Somalia
The bombing was the first claimed attack in months for the Islamic State forces inside Somalia.
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Shabaab targets soldiers in Puntland ambush
The al Qaeda branch claimed a massive IED attack on a military convoy in Puntland, as well as shelling a military base in southern Somalia that also reportedly hosts US troops.
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Islamic State claims hotel attack in northern Somalia
It is the Islamic State’s first major operation in Puntland since it captured the town of Qandala last October.
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Islamic State in Somalia claims capture of port town
This marks the first time the fledgling Islamic State branch has claimed control over a town in Somalia.
