Al-Shabaab stepping up its operations in Somalia

Ahmed Adel

The terrorist Al-Shabaab movement contributed to the deterioration of security in Somalia during 2021.

This caused the African country’s political problems to get worse, especially after the postponement of the presidential elections in it.

Sticking to power

On May 27, Somali parties approved a mechanism for holding parliamentary elections so that the country could get out of its political crisis.

However, President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, whose presidential term has already come to an end, made a sudden decision on September 16 to freeze the powers of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.

The president made the decision after accusing Roble of taking ‘ill-considered’ measures that threatened Somalia’s security and stability.

150 attacks

Al-Shabaab, which is loyal to al-Qaeda, took advantage of the situation in Somalia by carrying out nearly 150 operations that left about 650 people dead, including civilians and security personnel.

The terrorist movement’s attempt to widen the security imbalance in the country has been evident during the past two weeks.

It intensified its attempts to assassinate field security leaders who manage the security situation in different parts of Somalia.

The movement tried to assassinate Mohamed Sheikh Abdullah, the commander of Unit 60 of the Somali National Army, by targeting his vehicle with an explosive device on a road in southwestern Somalia.

Abdullah survived this attempt. However, some of his guards were injured and the vehicle he was traveling in was destroyed.

The movement renewed its attempt to assassinate Mohamed Taher, another senior security official.

It did this, using a landmine in Somali capital, Mogadishu. This was the second attempt on Taher’s life.

Traditional method

Assassinations are a traditional method of al-Shabaab.

The movement adopts this method against journalists and political and social leaders to remove those it considers an obstacle in the way of the success of its operations and the spread of its ideas.

It also seeks to get rid of the tribal leaders who do not respond positively to its demands.