VIDEO: Defence expert Jim Molan talks to Sky News about the Somalian terrorist group Al Shabaab: http://bit.ly/3p4TG
An expert on Somalia says the war-torn nation has become the preferred training ground for a new breed of terrorists.Rashid Abdi, a Somalia analyst for the International Crisis Group, says Somalia has become a breeding place for radicals, like al-Shabaab, as anyone can go in and out of the country."There is no doubt Al Qaeda has great ambitions for Somalia and now that they are sort of being pushed in Afghanistan and Pakistan, they find there are ideological soul mates who are al-Shabaab, who are capable of offering them refuge," he told ABC's Radio National.
Mr Abdi says al-Shabaab formed in 2001 or 2002, starting with just 300 or 400 well-trained fighters of special forces in Union of Islamic Corps.But when Ethiopia invaded Somalia, al-Shabaab broke away and Mr Abdi says it is now in line with Al Qaeda's agenda."They see themselves as warriors of Allah who basically want to Islamitise the entire world, who want to wage a permanent war against the West," he said."I think if you have been watching what has been happening in Somalia and how this movement, al-Shabaab which was initially a self-radicalising movement, has evolved and now it is very much in the Al Qaeda mode or orbit, it comes as no surprise. "I think this was the next logical step."Certain individuals within the movement had past links with Al Qaeda central ... and some of them actually went for training there."But then I think evidence hasn't been very definitive about whether al-Shabaab is another tutelage of Al Qaeda central, based in Afghanistan or probably Pakistan."
And he says the Australian raids this week show their target is now broader than Somalia alone...more..http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/08/05/2646576.htm
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