ASWJ's Victory Over Terror, The Sufi Islamist organization Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a (ASWJ)

Fighting Factions Claim Victory in Somali Fighting‎

The Sufi Islamist organization Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a (ASWJ) important ally for the TFG in the looming battle for Mogadishu.  ASWJ, established in 1991, is an umbrella organization for Sufi orders throughout the country that did not engage in armed conflict until July 2008, when al Shabaab prohibited Sufi practices in parts of Somalia.[Specifically, al Shabaab’s desecration of the tombs of revered Sufi leaders drove ASWJ to take up arms against the Wahhabism-inspired al Shabaab.  Ethiopia identified ASWJ as a potential ally and has provided elements of the organization with arms and training.  Currently, ASWJ, which has always been pro-government and pro-Somali unity, has about 2,000 fighters in its ranks