Al- Shabba Terrorist Group
Al-Shabaab or the “Youth” terrorist organization
HLSS
June 9, 2013
The organization Al-Shabaab, or "The Youth," is an al-Qaeda-linked group and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization fighting for the creation of a fundamentalist Islamic state in Somalia.i The group, also known as Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, and its Islamist affiliates once held sway over Mogadishu and major portions of the Somali countryside, but a sustained African Union military campaign in recent years has forced the group's retreat from most major towns, including its former stronghold in the southern port of city of Kismayo. In early 2013, many experts believe al-Shabaab, facing both internal and external pressures, is greatly weakened. Still, others warn the group remains a threat in a politically volatile, war-torn state.ii The origin of Alshabaa began when the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was began to formed in Kenya, major changes were taking place in Mogadishu that altered the landscape of Somalia.iii The capital had been the scene of some of the heaviest fighting throughout the civil war due to the numerous warlords competing for control of various neighborhoods. As a result, lawlessness was rampant for more than a decade, as robbery, rape, kidnapping, and murder became daily occurrences.iv Beginning in the late 1990s, however, neighborhood shari'a courts began to spring up in a series of local attempts to impose a degree of law and order. Although most Somalis are not especially religious and adhere to the relatively moderate Sufi branch of Islam,' the courts were largely welcomed as a way to fill the void left by the disappearance of the official police and judiciary system. vThe courts became power centers in and of themselves, recruiting their own militias to carry out their frequently harsh judgments. Each court was heavily influenced by the ideology of its leader, some of whom were moderate like Sheikh
HLSS
June 9, 2013
The organization Al-Shabaab, or "The Youth," is an al-Qaeda-linked group and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization fighting for the creation of a fundamentalist Islamic state in Somalia.i The group, also known as Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, and its Islamist affiliates once held sway over Mogadishu and major portions of the Somali countryside, but a sustained African Union military campaign in recent years has forced the group's retreat from most major towns, including its former stronghold in the southern port of city of Kismayo. In early 2013, many experts believe al-Shabaab, facing both internal and external pressures, is greatly weakened. Still, others warn the group remains a threat in a politically volatile, war-torn state.ii The origin of Alshabaa began when the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) was began to formed in Kenya, major changes were taking place in Mogadishu that altered the landscape of Somalia.iii The capital had been the scene of some of the heaviest fighting throughout the civil war due to the numerous warlords competing for control of various neighborhoods. As a result, lawlessness was rampant for more than a decade, as robbery, rape, kidnapping, and murder became daily occurrences.iv Beginning in the late 1990s, however, neighborhood shari'a courts began to spring up in a series of local attempts to impose a degree of law and order. Although most Somalis are not especially religious and adhere to the relatively moderate Sufi branch of Islam,' the courts were largely welcomed as a way to fill the void left by the disappearance of the official police and judiciary system. vThe courts became power centers in and of themselves, recruiting their own militias to carry out their frequently harsh judgments. Each court was heavily influenced by the ideology of its leader, some of whom were moderate like Sheikh