TG- Al-Shabaab Examination
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Al-Shabaab Terrorist Organization
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An Examination of Al-Shabaab
Tyler J. Gregory
HLSC 610 | Dr. Richards
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
June 21, 2023
Al-Shabaab Terrorist Organization
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Abstract
The Al-Shabaab terrorist organization holds the title as one of the most lethal international terrorist groups in the world. Their acts of violence across the Horn of Africa have given them the hopes of extorting the Somalian government and ruling a pivotal coastal state that would allow closer ties with Al-Qaeda and their dominance over Kenya and the Middle East. Through tactful maneuvers and operations, Al-Shabaab has tested the Somalian government on several occasions, but in most recent years is more receptable to cooperating with government entities. By technological advancements and the youth, the fighters inside Al-Shabaab who share interests
in global jihadism have utilized social media and incentives to create a want to explore the life of
jihad movements such as the one occurring in Africa. Since its inception in the mid 2000s, Al-
Shabaab has grown to be a direct supporter of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization and has shared very like-minded concepts such as the disruption of democracy and the Western influence on the rest of the world. In a humanitarian ridden state such as Somalia, there is a mass influx of assistance pouring in from global superpowers, essentially introducing and influencing the Somalian government to shift more towards a nation such as the one the United States has built. The terrorist organizations are fighting for more than ownership of territory, but for the community of Islamist governance. Keywords
: Terrorism; Salafi-Jihadist; Al-Shabaab; Al-Qaeda; Somalia; Africa
Al-Shabaab Terrorist Organization
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An Examination of Al-Shabaab
Remarked as one of the largest, most lethal Al-Qaeda affiliates by the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), Al-Shabaab has established terror in the Western hemisphere and Eastern Africa since the early 2000s (congress.gov, 2023, p.1). The terrorist organization is responsible for lives across the globe and continues to grow with time. With the intent to establish an Islamic State in Somalia, Al-Shabaab should be taken at the highest level of seriousness, recognizing the threat they impose on the United States and Western nations is as legitimate as ever (Klobucista et al, 2023, p.1). This paper will go into great detail on the overview of the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization and include topic areas such as ideologies and the history of the group, the geographic makeup, tactics and methodologies, as well as the organizational structures and struggles that are exemplified within the Al-Shabaab organization. The examination of the organization should be viewed as educational and a notice to the audiences that track real-time international relations. Overview and History of Al-Shabaab Terrorist Organization
Al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization that sprouted in Somalia in the mid 2000’s has had the focus of overthrowing the Somalian government for quite some time (Klobucista et al, 2023, p.1). The delay in their efforts is owed to the African Union (AU) as well as the United States counterterrorism operations (p.1). The origins of Al-Shabaab date to the late 1990s, stemming from a group named al-Ittihad al-Islami (AIAI), an extremist group motivated by the idea of creating an Islamic State in place of Somalia, much like the mission of Al-Shabaab (p.2). The Al-Shabaab obtained the majority of its leaders and skillful operators from the disbanded AIAI, all of which were trained and influenced by the chief of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization, Osama bin Laden (p.2). The Al-Shabaab organization is best understood when the relationship
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between its supporters and the Al-Qaeda is explained in detail. According to the Director of National Intelligence’s counterterrorism webpage, the Al-Shabaab has a primary focus of defeating the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) but it is far from isolated to this idea. The terrorist organization also has an objective of spreading jihadism throughout the West. However, although these are the historical roots of Al-Shabaab’s motivations, many of its fighters only wish to defeat the FGS and do not wish to take part in jihadist movements (dni.gov, 2023). The AIAI was operated solely on the idea that taking over control of the FGS would justify their actions of violence across the region (Steinberg & Weber, 2015, p.13). Once Al-Qaeda began influencing the AIAI and eventually Al-Shabaab, the idea of spreading jihadism became more aligned with the goals and objectives of the Al-Shabaab leaders, which leads to the reason why Al-Shabaab remains one of the most lethal international terrorist organizations on the globe (Steinberg & Weber, 2015, p.14). The Evolution of Al-Shabaab
A war that was once fought in the battlefield and financially, has evolved into a hybrid war that is still fought with advanced weaponry, but is even more so a war that utilizes social media and connectivity with the rest of the world. According to an article published in 2022, the youth that are fighters in the Al-Shabaab terrorist organization have massive influences on young
teens and adults around the globe. Their postings of luxurious lifestyles using organization funds have influenced a new wave of individuals to join the jihadist movement, submitting loyalty to Al-Shabaab (Grobbelaar, 2022, p.1). As most know, one of the objectives of any terrorist organization is to instill fear in the population through acts of violence or extremism. Al-Shabaab
utilizes video streaming and social media to show violent acts that assist in the gaining of notoriety and fame amongst social media platforms (Grobbelaar, 2022, p.3). As technology
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advances are made and broadband connectivity is more accessible by organizations such as Al-
Shabaab, it is likely that the evolution path of Al-Shabaab can at some point become solely focused on cyberterrorism and minimize its use of physical violence across the globe (Weimann, 2004, p.8). Al-Shabaab Ideologies
Salafi-Jihadist Influence
The Al-Shabaab terrorist organization is primarily made up of Salafi-Jihadists that want to spread the ideologies of jihad and extremism amongst the globe. The jihad movement is not entirely accepted by all, but those who do share the same ideology of the Salafi-Jihadists would likely find themselves in a terrorist organization such as the Al-Shabaab (Faleg & Mustasilta, 2021, p.3). The ideology of a Salafi-Jihadist rests in the hatred for the West and democracy. In fact, the Salafi-Jihadists have an influence on terrorist organizations that lead them to believing that they are only “anti-colonializing” the world, protecting their people from “foreign powers” (Faleg & Mustasilta, 2021, p.5). The influence has helped evolve Al-Shabaab from what it used to be under the AIAI to what it is now, as one of the most lethal terrorist organizations in the world. Clan Affiliation
The individuals who are affiliated with Al-Shabaab hold many affiliations, making the terrorist organization unlike most. These extremists affiliate themselves with Sunni-Muslim identity, clannism, jihad, and Somali (Bacon, 2022, p.17). While most terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS hold loyalty and solitude to the organization, Al-Shabaab leaders promote the diverse affiliation with clans and movements as they feel it strengthens the jihad movement and creates a more powerful appearance in the Somalian region (p.19).
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Territorial Ideologies and Islamist Governance
Al-Shabaab as the reader now knows, has a primary objective of securing Somalia and turning it into an Islamic State. The ideologies that the organization holds are interesting as it shows that Al-Shabaab leaders are more entertained by government cooperation than most elite terrorist organizations (crisisgroup.org, 2022). The Crisis Group claims that Al-Shabaab leaders have entertained the ideology of the African Union (AU) and the Islamic Federal Government (IFG) cooperating with the organization to spread Islamist governance and begin the demobilization of Al-Shabaab (2022). Although this might take decades to happen, it seems as if the leadership within the organization still holds a priority on Islamist governance over the priority of influencing the jihad movement. Geographic Makeup
The terrorist organization made its first inception on the Ethiopian invasion in 2006 before spreading out to Central and South Somalia. In 2011, Al-Shabaab withdrew from Somalia’s capital Mogadishu due to being underpowered and pushed back from the African Union and the United States support (Karr, 2022, p.1). The Al-Shabaab would go on to launch offensive missions in Kenya and across to Uganda in the 2010s, letting the world know that while they are prioritizing the extortion of the Somalian region, they have the offensive capabilities to launch attacks on any surrounding nations, regardless of the size and power (Buluma, 2014, p. 4). It would be correct to state that the terrorist organization Al-Shabaab has majority control and offensive range over the Horn of Africa and its surrounding nations. This geographic makeup awards the organization as one of the most versatile international terrorist groups present today, further spreading their influence amongst the globe, therefore infinitely increasing their range and capabilities as far as offensive measures go.
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Tactics and Methodologies Much like any other terrorist organization, the Al-Shabaab organization utilizes the same three primary weapons: IED (improvised explosive device), VBIED (vehicular borne improvised
explosive device), and small arms attacks. The terrorist group primarily targets opposing military
forces, civilians with abnormal interests inside the group, and mass populations (nctc.gov, 2021).
The National Counterterrorism Center mentions that while spreading jihadism amongst the globe
is a priority to many members of Al-Shabaab, they have only ever committed offensive attacks within the Horn of Africa (nctc.gov, 2021). Their tactics include suppressing those who are outspoken about political rights and agendas, assassinations of officials and individuals with “skin in the game” inside Somalia, and the use of guerilla warfare to surprise their targets and tally up the number of victims (state.gov, 2018, p.1). Al-Shabaab and its loyalists have nearly 20 years of experience committing acts of extreme violence, tactics that have taken down top officials, and utilizing advanced technology for the recruitment and training of its newest fighters. The Use of Force Multipliers
A common tactic of Al-Shabaab as well as other terrorist organizations is the use of force
multipliers to match the powers of a much larger opposition. For example, fighters for Al-
Shabaab will utilize WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) to influence and/or extort targets from carrying out operations or occupying territory (Hoffman, 2018, p.436). The Al-Shabaab terrorist organization is relatively small when compared to the masses of the state’s that make up the Horn of Africa. However, through the use of force multipliers, the organizations is able to multiply their output of force and influence without needed to add any additional input variables.
Organizational Structure and Struggles
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As stated before, Al-Shabaab is a descendant of the former, AIAI and various terrorist cells including extremists throughout the Northeastern coast of Africa. Their structures are rather
simplistic and can be linked to a traditional hierarchy that one might see in a state’s government. Al-Shabaab has their clan leaders, specialists that are set to specific units such as explosives, political occupations, recruitment, and financial operations. The structure of Al-Shabaab was loosely enforced before 2012 when the organization formally declared allegiance to the Al-
Qaeda terrorist organization (Harrington & Thompson, 2021, p.1). This move enabled the organization to have more support from an already remarkable terrorist organization. Harrignton and Thompson also state in their report, “In addition to Al-Shabaab's core leadership structure, the group also operates multiple security organs, including the Amniyat, an intelligence agency with some policing responsibility, and Jeysh Al-Hisbah, Al-Shabaab's police force. Amniyat, for example, leads counterintelligence efforts and purges al Shabaab fighters suspected of spying for
state intelligence agencies.” (2021, p.1). The structure of Al-Shabaab is well established, more than capable of governing a state such as Somalia and with extensive integration of recruitment advancements, could potentially own the Horn of Africa. Financial Struggles
Al-Shabaab for many years has financed the operations that themselves as well as Al-
Qaeda conducts (treasury.gov, 2022). The Treasury also reports that Al-Shabaab has an average annual income of $100 million USD, that is used to support operations, break ground on new advancements, and coerce officials into committing actions in the best interest of the organization. The largest struggle for Al-Shabaab is the risk that is included with the actions that are required to earn this type of funding. The majority of the funds that are obtained are done so
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through physical violence and the ousting of their Somalian business owners (treasury.gov, 2022). Biblical Implication
1 Corinthians 10:13 states, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (openbible.info, 2016). This verse represents those who have temptations to do evil and take action upon those temptations. The sign is that their relationship with Christ is weak, their faith in him to provide them with a “way of escape” is non-existent and it is broken by an influence of evil wrongdoings. The Al-Shabaab terrorist organization may have righteous ideas of bringing a religion together as one, but their cloudy deception of how to go about that leads them to carrying out the actions that are guided by temptations of evil.
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References
1 Corinthians 10:13
. 1 corinthians 10:13 ESV - - Bible Gateway. (2016). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%2BCorinthians
%2B10%3A13&version=ESV Al Shabaab - Federation of American scientists
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IMEP_Bacon_March-2022.pdf Buluma, G. (2014, March). Al-Shabaab: The threat to Kenya and the Horn of Africa - DTIC
. DTIC.mil. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA589056.pdf Considering political engagement with Al-Shabaab in Somalia
. Crisis Group. (2022, June 21). https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/somalia/309-considering-political-
engagement-al-shabaab-somalia Faleg, G., & Mustasilta, K. (2021, June). Salafi-Jihadism in Africa
. Salafi-Jihadism in Africa | June 2021. https://www.iss.europa.eu/sites/default/files/EUISSFiles/Brief_12_2021.pdf Grobbelaar, A. (2022, August). Media and terrorism in Africa: Al-Shabaab’s evolution from militant ...
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Harrington, J., & Thompson, J. (2021, September 23). Examining extremism: Harakat al Shabaab al mujahideen (Al Shabaab): Examining extremism
. CSIS. https://www.csis.org/blogs/examining-extremism/examining-extremism-harakat-al-
shabaab-al-mujahideen-al-shabaab Hoffman, B. (2018, August 6). 9. terrorism today and tomorrow I: Force multipliers
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%2C%20kidnappings%2C%20and%20assassinations. Nctc. (2023). National Counterterrorism Center: Groups
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Treasury designates Al-Shabaab financial facilitators
. U.S. Department of the Treasury. (2022, October 17). https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1028 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2018). Country reports on terrorism 2017 - foreign terrorist organizations: Al-Shabaab
. Refworld. https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bcf1f57a.html Weimann, G. (2004, December). United States Institute of Peace Special Report
. Cyberterrorism. https://www.usip.org/sites/default/files/sr119.pdf
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