Significance of Al-Shabaab attack on Somali military base

Ahmed Adel

Al-Shabaab controls a Somali military base on the Kenya border, in an advance that gives the terrorist movement a springboard to intensify its targeting of neighboring Kenya.

Somali media reported in July that Al-Shabaab took control of a military base in the city of Geriley, Gedo Region, in southern Somalia.

Geriley is one of seven bases handed over by the forces of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) at the end of June to Somali forces. It is also a strategic area, as it is located about 12 kilometers from the border with Kenya. Observers believe that Al-Shabaab militants can use the base as a starting point for more attacks inside Kenya.

Blow to efforts to combat terrorism

The Somali government did not comment on the security development, which is considered a strong blow to the efforts to combat terrorism after the withdrawal of the African forces. But Mursal Khalif, a member of the Somali federal parliament, said on Twitter that the Geriley attack is a source of great concern, adding that what is happening is because units of the Kenyan forces operating in Somalia have been withdrawn, according to the plans to withdraw ATMIS, and there are no reinforcements or equipment suitable for its defense.

This forward operating base on the Somali-Kenyan border warrants immediate attention from both countries, the Somali MP continued.

Khalif believes that the failure to address the security repercussions on this border city will only lead to emboldening terrorists.

The reason for the fall of the base is challenges at the level of the security transition, which includes the continued withdrawal of ATMIS, the strengthening and building of the defense capabilities of the Somali army and regional forces, and the calls of the Somalis to lift the arms embargo imposed on the country.

Al-Shabaab returns to strength

Dr. Nourhan Sharara, a researcher of African affairs, said that the attack launched by Al-Shabaab on the military base in Geriley is evidence of the terrorist movement’s attempt to return to its strength after successive successful operations by the Somali army.

Major challenge for Somali government

In a special statement to the Reference, Sharara confirmed that the importance of this particular base lies in its presence in a strategic location, as it is located 12 km from the Kenyan border, which makes it a starting point for more terrorist operations in Kenya, and this possibility is almost certain and requires preemptive steps and moves from the Somali side to control the situation in the region, which is a major challenge for the government of the Somali president through imposing a state of emergency, strengthening security capabilities in the region, and using the African Union and its forces again until the security situation is controlled and the base is restored.

Sharara added that Al-Shabaab’s control of the base will not be the last attempt by the movement, which the efforts of the Somali security forces have almost suffocated and are in the process of getting rid of it. The danger also lies in the movement’s continued terrorist attacks on Somali military bases, launching attacks on neighboring countries, the continued threat to Somali security, and the demolition of all that the Somali army has made during the past months in the fight against terrorism.