In order to control the capital: Reasons for decline of Shabaab terrorists in central Somalia

Ayat Ezz

The Somali Al-Shabaab movement has started to retreat back and lose its terrorist strongholds in the center of the country because of the American and Somali raids that took place three days ago in the city of Harardhere in the Mudug province where it was subjected to heavy air strikes for the third time in a row.

According to the Somali newspaper «New Somalia», the terrorist movement lost about 5 major strongholds, according to the Mogadishu Center for Studies.

The United States Africa Command, known as AFRICOM, killed 37 elements of the Al-Shabaab, after targeting an air strike on areas near the city of Harardhere in the province of Mudug and the security forces were able to arrest dozens of elements of the movement, according to a statement published by AFRICOM and the New Somalia newspaper.

To control Mogadishu

Mohammed al-Mauritani, an African researcher, said that the real reason for the attacks and losses by the Mujahedeen youth movement in central Somalia is their preoccupation with attacks on the capital Mogadishu.

“The Mujahideen Youth Movement wants to take control of the capital,” Mauritani said in a statement. “Most recently, it concentrated all of its strength in Mogadishu in order to control it, so the movement has lost most of its strongholds in central Somalia.”

The researcher in African affairs said that the terrorist movement seeks to control the capital Mogadishu in order to respond to the raids and US attacks on them. It lost many of its strongholds and it wants to compensate for its losses with the biggest gains.

Short Description of Mujahideen movement

The first public appearance of the Mujahideen youth was in 2006, after the so-called Union of Islamic Courts took control of the capital Mogadishu and most of central and southern Somalia. The movement had strong influence in the Islamic Courts, included at the beginning of its foundation former members of al-Qaeda organization in East Africa.

At the beginning of 2008, al Shabaab’s influence increased in Somalia and took part in campaigns to control Mogadishu at the time. These attacks were known as “the specter of war in Mogadishu.”

In 2012, the movement announced allegiance to Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al Qaeda leader, in a video broadcast by the movement through its media platforms.