Puntland

February 5, 2025 | Caleb Weiss |

US, UAE conducting airstrikes in northern Somalia

On February 1, the United States launched at least six airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland in support of that region’s current military...

January 1, 2025 | Caleb Weiss |

Islamic State release highlights the foreign-fighter nature of its recent assault in Somalia

A day after the Islamic State Somalia’s (ISS) brazen suicide assault against a Puntland military base—its most audacious attack to date in Somalia—the jihadist group released images of the men it...

December 31, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Puntland forces repel Islamic State suicide assault

Earlier today, the Puntland Security Forces (PSF), the armed forces of Somalia’s northern Puntland region, announced thwarting a major assault on a PSF base. Unusually, the attack was not carried out...

December 12, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Somali forces turn their weapons on each other

Yesterday, the Somali National Army (SNA) of the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) in Mogadishu was routed from the southern Somali town of Ras Kamboni. This battle was not with the SNA’s typical enemy—Shabaab,...

December 3, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

AQAP praises Shabaab’s activities in East Africa

In the latest issue of its Sada al-Malahem magazine, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) heaped significant praise on recent operations conducted by Shabaab, Al Qaeda’s branch in East...

July 5, 2024 | Caleb Weiss |

Jihadi archives: Islamic State’s eulogy of Sudanese jihadist Mohamad Makkawi Ibrahim

In May 2016, the Islamic State (IS) issued a eulogy for the infamous Sudanese jihadist Mohamad Makkawi Ibrahim through its weekly Al-Naba newsletter. The eulogy flew under the radar at the time but offers...

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 29, 2023 | Caleb Weiss |

U.S. designates Islamic State financier in Somalia

On Thursday, the United States government sanctioned Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf, the financial emir for the Islamic State’s Somali Province (or Islamic State-Somalia, ISS). In this capacity, Yusuf was responsible...

January 27, 2023 | Caleb Weiss, Ryan O’Farrell

Analysis: U.S. Military kills key Islamic State leader in Africa

The United States announced yesterday that it conducted a special operations forces (SOF) raid on a hideout of the Islamic State’s branch in Somalia. During the raid, the SOF troops killed Bilal al-Sudani,...

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...

September 12, 2022 | Caleb Weiss |

Contested area of northern Somalia witnesses rare suicide bombing

At least five people were killed yesterday in a suicide bombing at a crowded cafe in the village of Milxo in the Sanaag Region, a contested area laid claim to by both Somalia and Somaliland. No group has...

February 28, 2018 | Clifford D. May

Black lives in Africa

No nation in Africa is receiving more attention right now than Wakanda. And why not since, as Anthony Lane writes in The New Yorker, Wakanda is “a model of serenity,” that also is &ld...

February 21, 2018 | Thomas Joscelyn

Not So Fast

On January 19, the Pentagon released its new National Defense Strategy. The second paragraph of the 14-page declassified summary painted a dire picture. “Today, we are emerging from a perio...

February 17, 2017 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Islamic State 2021

FDD Press

September 21, 2016 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Limited Options

The Cipher Brief: What is your assessment of al Shabaab’s current capabilities?  Daveed Gartenstein-Ross: Al Shabaab’s current cap...

February 23, 2016 | Daveed Gartenstein-Ross |

Neither Remaining Nor Expanding: The Islamic State’s Global Expansion Struggles

Co-written with Nathaniel Barr Judging from the Islamic State’s propaganda, it would appear the group is rapidly overtaking the Muslim world. The Islamic State has declare...

May 31, 2012 | Emanuele Ottolenghi |

The Real ‘Spring’ is Not Arab

Buried beneath the news’ cycle of the Arab Spring is a much overlooked and potentially r...

January 25, 2012 | Bill Roggio The Long War Journal

Navy SEALs Free 2 Western Hostages in Somalia

US Navy SEALs from SEAL Team Six conducted a successful nighttime raid in Somalia to free an American woman and a Danish man being held by kidnappers in Somalia....

July 27, 2011 | Clifford D. May

In the Pirates’ Lair

Do Somalia’s buccaneers have legitimate grievances?

June 15, 2011 | World Defense Review

Around the Troubled Horn

Even by the much-reduced expectations of the subregion, the news emanating from the geopolitically-sensitive, but ever-volatile Horn of Africa has not been at all good these last few weeks....