Al-Shabaab attacks: Why are Qatar-backed Fahad Yasin’s terrorists targeting Puntland?

Ali Ragab

In a strong blow to Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Director Fahad Yasin, Qatar’s man in Somalia, the northeastern state of Puntland directed a strong blow to the terrorist Al-Shabaab movement by announcing that it thwarted an attempt by Al-Shabaab militants to launch an attack on its forces’ bases.

The Puntland state forces indicated that they had seized the militants’ supplies, camels and donkeys that were to be used in an attack on their bases in Galgala.

Puntland has been locked in a bitter struggle for years with Al-Shabaab and ISIS militants who are stationed in the rugged Galgala mountains and launch attacks from time to time on the cities of Puntland.

Al-Shabaab, which has vague relations with Fahad Yasin, is targeting Puntland as one of the states opposed to the Qatari, Turkish and Brotherhood presence in Somalia. On January 8, 2019, Said Abdullahi Dani was elected president of Puntland for five years after winning the elections held by the state parliament, striking a blow to the plot of Qatar’s man in Mogadishu, Yasin, who supported more than one candidate to overthrow the opponents of Qatar and the Brotherhood in Puntland.

The area of ​​Puntland is about 215,510 square kilometers, equivalent to almost a third of the area of ​​Somalia, and its approximate population is 4 million, according to 2000 statistics.

Yasin was running the elections in Puntland through his terrorist arms, relying on loyal elements of the number two man in Al-Shabaab, Mohamed Said Atom, who resides in Doha and was included by the Arab Quartet countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain) on the terrorist list in November 2017.

Yasin and Atom failed in their mission to resolve the elections in favor of candidates supported by Qatar, which constitutes the first defeats of Qatar and the Brotherhood in Somalia.

Atom established the Al-Shabaab movement in Galgala and launched bloody attacks for many years against the Puntland government. The authorities accused him of undermining the security and stability of Puntland and attempting to carry out assassinations against the leaders of the state, according to Garowe Online.

Qatar uses Fahad Yasin in the circle of decision makers in Somalia to increase its influence within this important country in the Horn of Africa, and to strike at the interests of those whom Doha considers its enemies, especially the United Arab Emirates.

The government of Puntland also confirmed that Atom continues to engage in activity that destabilizes security in the Somali regions through his presence in Qatar, where he obtained political asylum.

On the other hand, the UAE provides great support to the state of Puntland. Former Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas confirmed that the UAE is a strategic partner in combating terrorism, piracy and human trafficking.

Gaas asserted that the close relationship and cooperation between Somalia and the UAE will overcome any arguments presented, pointing out that bilateral relations “will last and improve”, praising the UAE’s support in confronting terrorism in the state.

In 2017, United Nations reports revealed the existence of ISIS in Somalia, confirming that it had emerged from the womb of the terrorist Al-Shabaab movement. This increases fears for the Somali state governments, which have been seeking for a long time to eliminate Al-Shabaab, which is linked to al-Qaeda. According to UN reports, ISIS followers in Somalia include about 200 militants.

Observers believe that Qatar has a long history of supporting terrorist movements, and targeting the Somali states with terrorist groups indicates its involvement in fueling conflict between Somali clans in order to destabilize Somalia.