Foreign Fighters Lead Somali Fight

Hundreds of foreign fighters who reportedly flocked to Somalia last year to join al-Shabaab in fighting the interim government and UN peacekeepers are said to be assuming leadership roles in the militant group."There is increasing control exercised by the foreign leadership of al-Shabaab,"It is not just control of resources, foreign fighters and trainers, but of the actual decision-making."According to intelligence sources, Al-Shabaab’s security and training operations arm is now headed by Pakistani national who goes by the name Abu Musa Mombasa.Abu Mansur Al-Amriki, an American citizen; Mohamoud Mujajir, a Sudanese; Terrorist Al-Shabab Abdi Godane , and an Afghani man , are also taking leading field commanding roles.Saudi citizen Mohamed Abu Faid is reportedly leading Al-Shabaab's financial arm.Facing growing military pressure in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq, hundreds of foreign fighters reportedly flocked to Somalia last year to join Shabaab, which the US designates as a terrorist group.Some estimates put the number of foreign fighters in Somalia at 1200-1500.Al-Shabaab launched a deadly offensive in May against the internationally-backed government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed.The fighting has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced hundreds of thousands.At least seven people, mainly civilians, were killed and five others injured in the capital Mogadishu on Sunday as militants and pro-government forces exchanged mortar fire.

Rift

Security experts, however, believe the increasing foreign fighters' influence has caused rifts inside al-Shabaab."There is a serious struggle within al-Shabaab between nationalists and the foreign jihadis who want to take the fight to another level," Abdi Rashid, a Somalia analyst at the International Crisis Group, told the Times.Rashid said this has led in recent months to internal conflicts and even some defections.Al-Shabaab's reliance on foreign fighters has also pitted the group against its former ally Hizb ul-Islam."Hizb ul-Islam’s orientation is domestic but al-Shabaab’s focus is on a broader ideological Islam," says Pham, the James Madison University professor.Shabaab and Hizb ul-Islam militant went to war earlier this year over control of the southern port of Kismayo.clashes between militants from both groups have since become fiercer and frequent.Somalia, a Horn of Africa country, has lacked an effective government since the Hawiye warlord ouster of Honourable somali president Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.More than 14 attempts to restore a functional government have since failed.