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While the limelight is on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the US has to take Somalia seriously.
Somali Extremists Have al Qaeda Ties
Somali Extremists Have al Qaeda Ties
Apr 15, 2009 [WSJ] Ali Soufan
The mortars fired at the plane carrying New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne out of Mogadishu Airport on Monday were a sharp reminder that although the recent focus on Somalia has been on piracy, the bigger threat comes from terrorists operating onshore. On land, radical jihadists now have one of the largest territories from which to operate since the Taliban hosted al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The terrorist group that fired on Mr. Payne is al Shabab ("the Youths"), a one-time military wing of the Islamist Courts Union that ruled Somalia for six months before Ethiopia invaded and deposed them in December 2006. Designated as a terrorist organization by the State Department, al Shabab's aim is to create a Taliban-style Islamic state in Somalia. In pursuit of this goal it uses the most ruthless of methods: executions, beatings, torture and suicide bombing.
Since Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia earlier this year, al Shabab has taken control of important towns inland and along the coast, ... The group has also reportedly entered into financial arrangements with pirates operating from port cities under al Shabab's control. Al Shabab's numbers are steadily rising; it's estimated that they now have up to 7,000 fighters. And it helps that they pay their fighters with cash as well as the promise of martyrdom.
Unfortunately, al Shabab is a particularly difficult terrorist group to combat because of its asymmetrical and loose organizational structure. Similar to post-9/11 al Qaeda, its senior leaders give broad direction but leave day-to-day operations to individual commanders who control groups of around 100 fighters. So even if senior leaders are killed, individual commanders can easily continue operating.
Al Qaeda has had a relationship with Somali extremists since the early 1990s when Osama bin Laden was based in Sudan. ....
To this day, al Shabab's leadership is closely linked to al Qaeda. Many in the current leadership cadre are graduates of al Qaeda training camps. ...
Veteran al Qaeda terrorists help make up al Shabab's ranks. They include Fazul Abdullah Muhammad, a former member of bin Laden's Nairobi base who is wanted by the U.S. -- a $5 million FBI bounty is on his head -- for his involvement in the 1998 East African embassy bombings. ....
Somalia's president, Sharif Ahmed, the leader of the Islamic Courts Union, is today seen as a moderate. He has promised to restrain his former comrades. But even if he is sincere, he lacks the resources and troops to stop the lawlessness in his country.
All of this is important because the freedom of radical extremists to operate in Somalia is a direct threat to America and the West. The lawlessness in Somalia and along its coastlines, combined with its porous border with Kenya, allows terrorists to easily travel in and out of Somalia to Somali communities across the world.
Cities such as Minneapolis, Stockholm, Cardiff and Dubai, all have large Somali populations, as do neighboring countries like Yemen, Kenya and Ethiopia. ...
There are options we can pursue to begin improving the situation. A comprehensive international diplomatic push to stabilize Somalia is crucial. In the meantime, the U.S. has to put in place a regional strategy that encompasses diplomatic, economic, intelligence, law-enforcement and military initiatives aimed at weakening the terrorists and enhancing living conditions for civilians.
The plan may include covert actions against al Shabab leaders and camps; apprehension and prosecution of wanted operatives; increasing aid to the president and his allies if they are determined to be trustworthy; increasing aid to Kenya to help it better police its borders; and an effort to bring neighboring Eritrea and Ethiopia on board. ...
On Sept. 11, 2001, America learned that a seemingly insignificant far-away country could turn out to be a major threat to our security. If al Qaeda manages to pull off another terrorist attack, there is a strong chance it will be linked to Somalia. This time we've been warned.
Mr. Soufan was an FBI supervisory special agent from 1997 to 2005.
The mortars fired at the plane carrying New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne out of Mogadishu Airport on Monday were a sharp reminder that although the recent focus on Somalia has been on piracy, the bigger threat comes from terrorists operating onshore. On land, radical jihadists now have one of the largest territories from which to operate since the Taliban hosted al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
The terrorist group that fired on Mr. Payne is al Shabab ("the Youths"), a one-time military wing of the Islamist Courts Union that ruled Somalia for six months before Ethiopia invaded and deposed them in December 2006. Designated as a terrorist organization by the State Department, al Shabab's aim is to create a Taliban-style Islamic state in Somalia. In pursuit of this goal it uses the most ruthless of methods: executions, beatings, torture and suicide bombing.
Since Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia earlier this year, al Shabab has taken control of important towns inland and along the coast, ... The group has also reportedly entered into financial arrangements with pirates operating from port cities under al Shabab's control. Al Shabab's numbers are steadily rising; it's estimated that they now have up to 7,000 fighters. And it helps that they pay their fighters with cash as well as the promise of martyrdom.
Unfortunately, al Shabab is a particularly difficult terrorist group to combat because of its asymmetrical and loose organizational structure. Similar to post-9/11 al Qaeda, its senior leaders give broad direction but leave day-to-day operations to individual commanders who control groups of around 100 fighters. So even if senior leaders are killed, individual commanders can easily continue operating.
Al Qaeda has had a relationship with Somali extremists since the early 1990s when Osama bin Laden was based in Sudan. ....
To this day, al Shabab's leadership is closely linked to al Qaeda. Many in the current leadership cadre are graduates of al Qaeda training camps. ...
Veteran al Qaeda terrorists help make up al Shabab's ranks. They include Fazul Abdullah Muhammad, a former member of bin Laden's Nairobi base who is wanted by the U.S. -- a $5 million FBI bounty is on his head -- for his involvement in the 1998 East African embassy bombings. ....
Somalia's president, Sharif Ahmed, the leader of the Islamic Courts Union, is today seen as a moderate. He has promised to restrain his former comrades. But even if he is sincere, he lacks the resources and troops to stop the lawlessness in his country.
All of this is important because the freedom of radical extremists to operate in Somalia is a direct threat to America and the West. The lawlessness in Somalia and along its coastlines, combined with its porous border with Kenya, allows terrorists to easily travel in and out of Somalia to Somali communities across the world.
Cities such as Minneapolis, Stockholm, Cardiff and Dubai, all have large Somali populations, as do neighboring countries like Yemen, Kenya and Ethiopia. ...
There are options we can pursue to begin improving the situation. A comprehensive international diplomatic push to stabilize Somalia is crucial. In the meantime, the U.S. has to put in place a regional strategy that encompasses diplomatic, economic, intelligence, law-enforcement and military initiatives aimed at weakening the terrorists and enhancing living conditions for civilians.
The plan may include covert actions against al Shabab leaders and camps; apprehension and prosecution of wanted operatives; increasing aid to the president and his allies if they are determined to be trustworthy; increasing aid to Kenya to help it better police its borders; and an effort to bring neighboring Eritrea and Ethiopia on board. ...
On Sept. 11, 2001, America learned that a seemingly insignificant far-away country could turn out to be a major threat to our security. If al Qaeda manages to pull off another terrorist attack, there is a strong chance it will be linked to Somalia. This time we've been warned.
Mr. Soufan was an FBI supervisory special agent from 1997 to 2005.
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