Somalia is burning, but the world would rather not see. The country has over the years become synonymous with chaos.
However, recent developments in the country should get many of us very worried.
When news broke that one of the most brutal terrorists in the war-torn country, Aden Hashi Ayrow, had been killed along with several of his lieutenants, commentators were quick to pronounce it a major step towards saving the country.
In Nairobi, diplomat Mohammed Aden said that Ayrow's death “will definitely weaken al-Shabaab”, referring to the ferocious Islamic militia. On the surface, the diplomat's assessment appears reasonable. Ayrow's death, in a pre-dawn strike on the small town of Dusa Mareb, removed a long-time terror chief responsible for the jihadists' recently intensified insurgency, which has claimed dozens of people. Lately, Somalia President Abdullahi Yusuf has come under repeated attacks, often escaping by a whisker. Upon Ayrow's death, Somali jihadists quickly vowed to continue the fight under new leadership. “Dying is an honour at the moment,” Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a former mentor to Ayrow, was quoted as saying. Al-Shabaab group spokesman Mukhtar Ali Robow has been similarly defiant. He said: “We are warning the enemies of God that we will stay on the same path like the departed… the true path of jihad.” Mr Robow's threat is all the more frightening in light of his group's definition of jihad that, judging by its attacks, includes killing and kidnapping humanitarian aid workers.
Recent examples include the kidnapping of two men working on a UN-funded water project and a roadside bombing that killed employees of Médecins Sans Frontières, which forced the group to withdraw from Somalia. One interpretation of these actions is that al-Shabaab's objective is to destabilise Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and allied Ethiopian forces by fostering chaos to the point where the population will call on al-Shabaab to save them.
In this respect, there is a similarity between the indiscriminately violent hit-and-run tactics of al-Shabaab and terrorists in Iraq. In any case, at this point, the strategy of the jihadists appears changed little following Ayrow's death. Jihadists also appear to expect the terrorist group to reform. The challenge for those who oppose terrorism in East Africa, as elsewhere, is that terrorism respects no borders. It is an international phenomenon that relies on international means to replenish its ranks. Nothing demonstrates this better than jihadists' use of the Internet. There is no subtlety about it. Recently, an Internet forum carried instructions on “how to become a member of Al Qaeda”. In addition to adhering to the identity, ideology and objectives of Al-Qaeda, candidates are told that they must prepare “physically, scientifically and spiritually”. Jihadists can join either an existing group or “pursue a solitary path”. To them, almost any act can be justified by jihad. Somalia may be a failed state, but it is a net exporter of extremism and insecurity. Therefore, the world, especially neighbouring countries, must do more to help Somalia
However, recent developments in the country should get many of us very worried.
When news broke that one of the most brutal terrorists in the war-torn country, Aden Hashi Ayrow, had been killed along with several of his lieutenants, commentators were quick to pronounce it a major step towards saving the country.
In Nairobi, diplomat Mohammed Aden said that Ayrow's death “will definitely weaken al-Shabaab”, referring to the ferocious Islamic militia. On the surface, the diplomat's assessment appears reasonable. Ayrow's death, in a pre-dawn strike on the small town of Dusa Mareb, removed a long-time terror chief responsible for the jihadists' recently intensified insurgency, which has claimed dozens of people. Lately, Somalia President Abdullahi Yusuf has come under repeated attacks, often escaping by a whisker. Upon Ayrow's death, Somali jihadists quickly vowed to continue the fight under new leadership. “Dying is an honour at the moment,” Shaykh Hassan Dahir Aweys, a former mentor to Ayrow, was quoted as saying. Al-Shabaab group spokesman Mukhtar Ali Robow has been similarly defiant. He said: “We are warning the enemies of God that we will stay on the same path like the departed… the true path of jihad.” Mr Robow's threat is all the more frightening in light of his group's definition of jihad that, judging by its attacks, includes killing and kidnapping humanitarian aid workers.
Recent examples include the kidnapping of two men working on a UN-funded water project and a roadside bombing that killed employees of Médecins Sans Frontières, which forced the group to withdraw from Somalia. One interpretation of these actions is that al-Shabaab's objective is to destabilise Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and allied Ethiopian forces by fostering chaos to the point where the population will call on al-Shabaab to save them.
In this respect, there is a similarity between the indiscriminately violent hit-and-run tactics of al-Shabaab and terrorists in Iraq. In any case, at this point, the strategy of the jihadists appears changed little following Ayrow's death. Jihadists also appear to expect the terrorist group to reform. The challenge for those who oppose terrorism in East Africa, as elsewhere, is that terrorism respects no borders. It is an international phenomenon that relies on international means to replenish its ranks. Nothing demonstrates this better than jihadists' use of the Internet. There is no subtlety about it. Recently, an Internet forum carried instructions on “how to become a member of Al Qaeda”. In addition to adhering to the identity, ideology and objectives of Al-Qaeda, candidates are told that they must prepare “physically, scientifically and spiritually”. Jihadists can join either an existing group or “pursue a solitary path”. To them, almost any act can be justified by jihad. Somalia may be a failed state, but it is a net exporter of extremism and insecurity. Therefore, the world, especially neighbouring countries, must do more to help Somalia
No comments:
Post a Comment