Tag Archives: Somalia

A Shabaab suicide bomber drove an explosives-packed car into a restaurant near an intelligence headquarters in Mogadishu, killing at least 12 people, including intelligence officers, and injuring eight others. Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, military spokesman for the al Qaeda-linked group, said the attack was part of Shabaab’s operations in the capital and that such operations […]

A Shabaab suicide assault team stormed the presidential palace in Mogadishu. Two government officials, several Somali soldiers, and 10 Shabaab fighters were killed during the assault. Ethiopian troops clashed with Shabaab fighters in Luuq.

Officials and residents say Shabaab is conducting attacks almost nightly in Mogadishu and patrolling districts at night; the al Qaeda-linked group now controls some districts entirely. At least seven people have been killed and many more have been detained as a result of raids by security forces in Kismayu. Ahmed Ibrahim was appointed the interim […]

Sources said Shabaab’s ban on mobile Internet services was precipitated by Edward Snowden’s revelations that the US government was tapping global Internet and phone systems. A Shabaab defector killed the commander of Jubaland’s security forces and two of his bodyguards in Kismayo.

In response to Ethiopian forces crossing into Bakool region, Shabaab forces have begun to pull out of the region’s capital of Hudur. Somali troops lost the towns of Gandarshe and Jilib Marka in Lower Shabelle to Shabaab militants after controlling the towns for less than a week. The Somali government has denied UN allegations of […]

Shabaab attacked AMISOM forces twice last night. In the evening, at least one person was killed and four civilians were injured after AMISOM troops repulsed a Shabaab ambush on a troop convoy. Later that night, Shabaab attacked an AMISOM base in Mogadishu’s Huriwaa district with heavy weapons including shoulder-launched heavy missiles.

A car bomb intended to target Somali and AMISOM troops in Beledweyne prematurely exploded in Bulo-Burte, killing at least eight Shabaab fighters. The detonation was the second explosives snafu in three days for Shabaab. In Somaliland, officials reportedly arrested a former senior Shabaab commander. Mogadishu’s mayor called for greater cooperation between authorities and civilians, and […]

Ahmed Abdi Godane is thought to be on the run after having narrowly escaped death twice in the past month. AMISOM and Somali troops killed seven Shabaab militants in a surprise attack on the town of Hagar in Jubba. The Deputy Governor of Lower Shabelle was injured in one of two bomb attacks in Mogadishu […]

As a result of Shabaab threats, a telecom provider has shut off Internet services in Mogadishu. Shabaab continues to shell Mogadishu. Shabaab reportedly allowed the resumption of mobile Internet services in Middle and Lower Jubba regions today.

Somali and AMISOM troops have removed Shabaab forces from the areas around Gendershe, Dhanane, and Jilib in Lower Shabelle. In Gedo, Somali forces claim they will soon launch a campaign against Shabaab positions with the help of Ethiopian AMISOM peacekeepers. Uganda has sent an additional 1,600 troops to join AMISOM efforts.

The Somali government has fired 700 soldiers of various ranks for incompetence. In Mogadishu, Shabaab has claimed responsibility for two consecutive nights of shelling in various government and AMISOM-controlled areas. Although Kenya will decrease its troop presence in Kismayo, the KDF has denied allegations that Kenyan forces are preparing to pull out of Somalia completely.

After the Somali government complained Kenyan troops were interfering with its attempts to assert authority, Kenya will decrease its troop presence in Kismayo. Sources claim that three Kenyan soldiers were killed, and one armored vehicle was damaged over the weekend in an ambush by Shabaab forces near Afmadow in Lower Jubba. Shabaab has arrested 16 […]

AMISOM troops have disrupted an anti-Mogadishu conference in Baidoa aimed at creating an autonomous state in southern Somalia consisting of Bay, Bakool, Gedo, Lower Jubba, Middle Jubba, and Lower Shabelle. The Sufi militant group Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamaa has urged Shabaab to lay down arms and seek an amnesty deal. In Barawe, Shabaab led a […]

President Mohamud wants the current UN arms embargo freeze extended, as Somali troops still need equipment to fight insurgents, and said increased operations against Shabaab are imminent. In Lower Shabelle, infighting between two clans within the Somali army killed at least 18 people, including two civilians. In Kismayu, locals demonstrated against the relocation of Kenyan […]

A Somali special forces unit called ‘Alpha Group‘ has begun operations to detain suspected Shabaab members. An angry mob formed yesterday in Mogadishu when an AMISOM convoy failed to stop after it hit and killed a local man. Shabaab urged Somalis to take up arms and help the group kill AMISOM soldiers for failing to […]

Shabaab has confirmed that intelligence operative Sahal Iskudhuq was killed by a US strike over the weekend. US security officials speaking off the record said the drone strike was targeting Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane. AMISOM has launched a 35-day training program for over 1,000 soldiers from the Interim Jubba Administration.

Shabaab threatened more violence in response to Ethiopian troops’ formally joining AMISOM. Over the weekend, a US drone strike killed an Amniyat commander in Lower Shabelle, and Puntland forces attacked a Shabaab base in Galgala. In Mogadishu, Shabaab killed five Somali soldiers in a brazen daytime attack, after having attacked a police station the night […]

The Sufi militia Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa (ASWJ) has given its support to Ethiopian integration into AMISOM. Shabaab militants shelled Mogadishu last night, wounding four people. Shabaab has arrested more than 100 people in Bardere town in Gedo for crimes ranging from trading khat to arson.

Shabaab fighters are poised to retake Mahaday after Somali troops retreated from the town. A drop in gun prices in Mogadishu is thought to be due to Somali soldiers selling off their equipment.

Shabaab has shut down mobile Internet access in areas under its control. A tipoff from Ahlu Sunna wal Jamaa forces led to the Kenyan Defence Forces airstrike on Shabaab leaders in Birta Dher village. Over 4,000 Ethiopian soldiers have formally integrated into AMISOM with orders to operate in the regions of Bay, Bakool, and Gedo. […]