Terror Free Somalia Foundation: Somali insurgent group al Shabaab

A profile of Al Shabaab

Just a quick reminder

about Somali Jihadists

Somali insurgent group al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the twin blasts in Ugandan capital Kampala on Sunday, which killed more than 76 people and injured more others.

The claim has shown that the group's intent on stretching its tentacles beyond the borders of the war-torn country.The insurgent groups in Somalia have been waging deadly attacks for the past three years on the Somali government and the African Union (AU) peacekeeping forces in the Somali capital Mogadishu.Al Shabaab which means youth in Arabic has the declared aim of imposing their stricter version of Islamic law known as the Sharia in Somalia but the group is also known for having global agenda to spread its ideology outside Somalia.The weekend bombing in the Ugandan capital marked the first time the group have claimed responsibility for an attack beyond the borders of Somalia which lacked strong central authority since the collapse of former Somali government in 1991.The attacks came days after the spiritual leader of the group as well as senior Islamist officials threatened to attack Uganda and Burundi which are the only countries to have contributed to the AU peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).The Islamist Al Shabaab has previously vowed to attack several foreign government such as the United States, Israel and almost all the Somalia's neighbors for their support of the Somali government.The group has also expressed support for rebel movements with the same ideology in other countries such as Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and vowed it would keep fighting "until Allah's word is supreme" throughout the world.The radical group is the most powerful organized Islamist movement in Somalia where it is believed to command thousands of well trained fighters including hardcore foreign fighters who are mainly trainers and top commanders in the group's ranks.Al Shabaab's use of suicide and car bombings, roadside explosives and other tactics employed by international militants groups made it eligible to be designated as a terrorist entity by the Somali government and some foreign governments including the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada.The movement now controls almost all of south-central Somalia including large swathes of the Somali capital Mogadishu while the internationally recognized but weak government of Somalia is contained in few blocks in the south and southwest of Mogadishu where key government installations are protected by AU peacekeepers.The Al Shabaab has, on numerous times, pledged allegiance to al Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who praised the group in their fight against the Somali government and AU peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu.