Somalia's Al Shabab Islamists Are Losing The War

Djiboutian soldiers arrive as part of the African Union peacekeepers for Somalia (AMISOM), at the Adan Abdulle International airport in Somalia's capital Mogadishu, December 20, 2011. AMISOM is an African Union force that has been largely responsible for keeping al Shabaab from ousting Somalia's internationally-backed but weak government. Omar Faruk/Reuters

Somalia's Al Shabab Islamists Are On The Run -- Chirstian Science Monitor

But the Somali officials, backed by international forces, are too busy fighting among themselves to govern.

With more and more African Union countries sending peacekeeping troops to Somalia, and with the militant group Al Shabab clearly on the retreat, it might appear that Somalia’s future is finally starting to look bright.

right is too strong a word, of course. Much of Somalia remains in the grip of a famine. Its coastline is a haven for pirates, smugglers, and criminal gangs. Military incursions by Kenya and Ethiopia will almost inevitably take a heavy toll among civilians as they fight groups like Al Shabab. And the Somali government, responsible for creating a stable, workable society after the militant groups are defeated, seems barely able to carry on a conversation with itself without getting into a fistfight.

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My Comment: Somalia's Al Shabab Islamists cannot match the military forces of Kenya, Ethiopia .... and probably .... U.S./Allied covert assistance. And with a new military offensive being planned .... I expect Somalia`s Al Shabab forces to be pushed even further. But if there is no proper governance, all of these efforts would have been for naught, and Al Shabab will be back sooner than what we would think.