Al-Shabaab increasing presence in southern Somalia

Ali Rajab

The terrorist al-Shabaab movement, which nurtures secret ties with the head of Somalia’s intelligence agency Fahd Yasin, who is a close associate of Qatar, continues to stage terrorist operations in southern Somalia.

The radical organization does this in an attempt to establish an Islamic emirate in Somalia.

Al-Shabaab has recently succeeded in overrunning a number of towns in the Middle Shabelle region in southern Somalia.

On October 8, the al-Qaeda-leaning group recaptured a strategic area, about 30 kilometers north of Somali capital Mogadishu. This came after Somali army troops pulled out of the region.

Al-Shabaab has destroyed massive parts of the Middle Shabelle region, including public and private properties and government offices.

The group stepped up its attacks in the past few months, especially in August when it carried out 34 attacks in Somalia alone. These attacks left 99 people dead and over 132 others injured, according to the al-Azhar Counterterrorism Observatory.

Al-Shabaab carries out demographic changes in the areas it occupies, a Somali official said.

He added that the group also makes radical change in the same area.

The group demolishes homes, mosques and government offices, the official said.

He noted that the Somali army or government troops had failed in preventing the attacks of the group.

The official called on the Somali government to uproot al-Shabaab from the areas it occupied, especially in southern Somalia.

Observers believe that the overrunning by al-Shabaab of parts of the Middle Shabelle region paves the road for the establishment of by al-Shabaab of its aspired Islamic emirate in the region.

Al-Shabaab works to control the whole of Somalia with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate in the African country.