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Shabaab on the offensive in Somalia
Shabaab and the allied Hizbul Islam are consolidating control of central and southern Somalia and are ousting Islamist forces loyal to President Sharif, their former ally.
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Shabaab leader admits links to al Qaeda
The information minister for Shabaab in the southern Somali city of Kismayo welcomed Osama bin Laden’s call to remove Somalia’s new president and said the group would continue its links to al Qaeda.
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Bin Laden urges jihad against new Somali government
Al Qaeda’s leader praised Shabaab and called for the downfall of the government led by former Islamic Courts leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. This is the third tape on Somalia released by senior al Qaeda leaders since Feb. 13.
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Senior leader of Somali terror alliance is Swedish citizen
Yasin Ali, a leader in Hizbul Islam, and two other Swedish citizens were arrested for funneling money to Shabaab but were freed after prosecutors had insufficient evidence to convict.
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Somalia’s rising tide of extremism
Four high-level US officials discussed the terrorist threat emanating from Somalia, as well as the Somali terrorist recruiting network on American soil, this week. The officials confirmed that al Qaeda and its allies are growing stronger by the day in East Africa.
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Zawahiri praises Shabaab’s takeover of southern Somalia
The latest al Qaeda tape on Somalia was released one day after two suicide bombers killed 15 Burundi soldiers in Mogadishu. Zawahiri also calls on Islamists to fight President Sharif’s government.
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Former Islamic Courts Leader elected president of Somalia
Sheikh Sharif Ahmed is elected president by the newly expanded parliament. Sharif led the conquest of southern Somalia in 2006.
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Shabaab takes control of Somalia’s seat of government
The al Qaeda affiliate moved into the southern town of Baidoa after Ethiopian forces pulled out, ending a two-year occupation.
