Al-Shabaab (militant group)

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen
حركة الشباب المجاهدين Ḥarakat ash-Shabāb al-Mujāhidīn
Flag used by al-Shabaab Emblem
Also known as	Al-Shabaab
Founder	Aden Ayro † (2006–2008)
Leaders	Emir: Ahmad Umar Spokesman: Ali Mohamed Rage Former leader: Ahmed Godane † Deputy Emir: Mahad Karate Deputy Emir: Abukar Ali Adan[1][2] Emir of Kenyan military wing: Maalim Ayman †[3][4][5] Deputy Emir of Kenyan military wing: Malin Khaled[6] Military Spokesperson: Abdulaziz Abu Musab [7][8] Head of the Clan Elder Council: Ibrahim Sheikh Ali Amniyat Emir: Yusuf Ahmed Hajji Nurow Military Emir: Yassir Jiis Emir of Finance: Abdikarim Horseed Senior Media Official: Abdullahi Osman Former spokesmen: Mukhtar Robow
Dates of operation	2006–present 2006: Established February 2008: United States Department of State designates al-Shabaab as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation May 2008: Aden Hashi Farah Ayro is killed in a US airstrike in Dhusamareb August 2008: Captures Kismayo in the Battle of Kismayo January 2009: Captures Baidoa following the Siege of Baidoa 30 January 2009: Ethiopia withdraws from Somalia December 2010: Hizbul Islam merges with al-Shabaab August 2011: Recapture of Mogadishu by TFG and AMISOM forces October 2011: Kenya invades southern Somalia to push al-Shabaab from the Kenyan border September 2013: al-Shabaab attack the Westgate Mall in Kenya August 2014: Operation Indian Ocean begins September 2014: Ahmed Godane is Killed in a US airstrike January 2016: Worst Kenyan losses endured during the Battle of El Adde October 2017: 587 killed in the deadliest bombing to date in Mogadishu 2022: AMISOM ends, is replaced with ATMIS
Headquarters	Jilib (2014-present) Former headquarters: Kismayo (2008–2012) Barawe (2012–2014)
Ideology	Sunni Islamism[9][10] Salafi jihadism[11][9][12] Islamic nationalism[10][13] Somali nationalism[13] Irredentism[14] Anti-imperialism[13][15] Anti-Zionism[16] Anti-Ethiopian sentiment[17]
Status	Active
Size	7,000–12,000 (2023 UN estimate)[18] 15,000–18,000 (2022 estimate per Pres. Hassan Sheikh)[19]
Part of	Al-Qaeda (2012—present)
Allies	State allies  Iran (denied)[20] Quds Force[21]  Qatar (denied)[22] Non-State allies al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Houthis (allegedly)[23]
Opponents	State opponents  Australia  Canada[24]  Djibouti  Ethiopia  France  Italy  Israel  Kenya  Norway[25]  Russia[26][27]  Somalia  Somaliland[note 1]  Sudan  Tanzania  Uganda  Turkey[28]  United Kingdom  United States Non-State opponents Islamic State – Somalia Province
Battles and wars	Somali Civil War Somalia War (2006–2009) Somali Civil War (2009–present)

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (Arabic: حركة الشباب المجاهدين, romanized: Ḥarakat ash-Shabāb al-Mujāhidīn, lit. Youth Mujahideen Movement), commonly known as al-Shabaab,^{[note 2]} is a Sunni Islamist military and political organization based in Somalia and active elsewhere in East Africa. It is actively involved in the ongoing Somali Civil War and incorporates elements of Somali nationalism into its Islamist cause. Allegiant to the militant pan-Islamist organization al-Qaeda since 2012, it has also forged ties with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Formed in the mid-2000s as a youth militia within the wider military wing of the Islamic Courts Union, al-Shabaab came to prominence during the 2006–2009 Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia, during which it presented itself as a vehicle for the waging of armed resistance against the occupying Ethiopian army. In subsequent years, it gained popular support from Somalis and became a dominant force in south and central Somalia, defending large swathes of territory by fighting against the African Union Mission to Somalia and the Federal Government of Somalia, as well as the latter's transitional predecessor. Al-Shabaab gained international prominence due to its recruitment of foreign fighters, including fighters who are from Western countries. Countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates have designated it as a terrorist organization, and the United States has militarily intervened in order to fight against the group.

Between 2011 and 2013, a coalition of African Union forces, led by the Somali government, wrested a significant amount of territory from al-Shabaab, including the capital city, Mogadishu. During the same period, the group was plagued by internal conflicts over its leadership and ideological direction, which intensified when, in February 2012, al-Shabaab's leadership pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. It suffered further military losses in 2014, as a result of Operation Indian Ocean, and the killing of its emir, Ahmed Abdi Godane. Several years thereafter, al-Shabaab retreated from the major cities, but it remained influential in many rural areas, and it prioritized guerrilla and terror attacks over territorial acquisitions. It is responsible for many high-fatality attacks, including the 2013 Westgate attack and the October 2017 Mogadishu bombings. Apart from its activities in Somalia, the group also operates in neighboring countries, extending its insurgency to Kenya's border regions and carrying out a major incursion into Ethiopia in 2022. Attendant to its recent resurgence, it was estimated to have increased its combat strength to between 7,000 and 18,000 fighters during 2022.^[29][19]

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