Hiran

March 30, 2025 | Caleb Weiss |

Trump admin ups the tempo of airstrikes against jihadist groups in Somalia

The Trump administration is significantly increasing the rate of American strikes inside Somalia. In just the first three months of President Donald Trump’s second term, his administration has already...

March 3, 2025 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab mounts coordinated assault north of Mogadishu

Since at least February 20, Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch for East Africa, has mounted a sizable offensive in southern and central Somalia between the Middle Shabelle and Hiraan regions. In some areas,...

December 26, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab announces the death of senior official Mohamed Mire

Earlier today, Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch for East Africa, publicly announced the death of Mohamed Mire, one of the group’s senior-most officials. The jihadist group stated that Mire was killed in...

July 1, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab hits Djibouti military base with suicide bombing in central Somalia

Yesterday, Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, took responsibility for a suicide car bombing targeting Djiboutian and Somali troops at a military base in central Somalia. The blast was the 14th...

March 13, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab retakes territory as the U.S. sanctions one of its money laundering networks

Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, is steadily undoing progress made by Somali security services in its nearly two year old counter-offensive against the group. Over the last few days, the group...

February 2, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Islamic State describes intense campaign against Shabaab in northern Somalia

In the latest issue of the Islamic State’s weekly Al-Naba newsletter, the global jihadist organization describes in detail a fierce campaign its so-called Somali Province waged against Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s...

July 20, 2023 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

AFRICOM launches ‘self-defense’ airstrikes against Shabaab in Somalia

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) killed five members of Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, in a “self-defense airstrike” in central Somalia on July 19. AFRICOM has launched four self-defense...

October 31, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab kills over 100 people in suicide bombings in Mogadishu

Over the weekend, two suicide car bombings perpetrated by Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, killed at least 100 people at a busy intersection in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu. Hundreds more...

October 24, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab assaults hotel in southern city of Kismayo

Yesterday, Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, conducted a large-scale siege on the Tawakal Hotel in Somalia’s southern city of Kismayo. At least nine civilians were murdered by the jihadist...

October 16, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

US government sanctions several Shabaab officials and affiliated individuals

Today the United States government sanctioned a total of 14 individuals belonging to or associated with Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned a list of nine...

October 3, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab conducts triple suicide bombing in central Somalia

As military operations continue against the group across much of central Somalia, Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, retaliated today with a triple suicide car bombing in the city of Beledweyne. According...

October 3, 2022 | David Adesnik, John Hardie

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: October

September 27, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

Shabaab continues to lose ground in central Somalia

Over the last few weeks, troops from the Somali National Army (SNA), backed by clan-based militias, African Union forces, and U.S. air support, have steadily made progress against Shabaab, al Qaeda’s...

September 21, 2022 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

U.S. airstrike kills 27 Shabaab fighters in central Somalia

The U.S. military killed 27 members of Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, in an airstrike in support of a Somali military and African Union offensive in central Somalia. Since June 3, the US has...

August 21, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

Analysis: Thirty hour long hotel siege emblematic of Somalia’s remaining security challenges

On Friday, Shabaab, al Qaeda’s branch in East Africa, launched a coordinated suicide assault on the Hayat Hotel in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu. Almost 30 hours later it was ended by Somali security...

August 17, 2022 | Bill Roggio, Caleb Weiss

US picks up pace of airstrikes in Somalia

Since resuming military activity inside Somalia earlier this year, the Biden Administration has ramped up the pace of airstrikes in the Horn of Africa country in recent weeks. Since June 3, the US has conducted...

March 13, 2019 | Bill Roggio |

U.S. on track to nearly triple airstrike record in Somalia

The US military continues to target Shabaab’s conventional forces in Somalia with record fury. In one of its latest airstrike, US Africa Command killed eight Shabaab fighters as the group attacked a...

February 1, 2011 | J. Peter Pham World Defense Review

Somalia in Need of New Approach Two Decades after State Collapse

Last week marked the twentieth anniversary of the night when Mohamed Siyad Barre, president of the last entity that could plausibly be described as the government of Somalia, fled Mogadishu in hi...

June 16, 2010 | Max M. Kampelman The Long War Journal

Hizbul Islam faction in southern Somalia defects to Shabaab

An important Hizbul Islam faction in southern Somalia has broken away from t...

May 10, 2010 | Bill Roggio Long War Journal

American-born Shabaab commander releases recruitment tape

An American-born member of Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, has released a propaganda tape that is aimed at recruiting Westerners to wage war against their home countries and establ...