Somalia's Al Shabab Fractures As 200 Of their Fighters Pledge Allegiance To The Islamic State

The Independent: Isis is turning to Somalia for its latest set of recruits

The Islamic State has already expanded its footprint well beyond Syria and Iraq, with militants in Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Nigeria and other countries pledging allegiance to the extremists

Two-thousand miles from Syria,the Islamic State is trying to expand its territory by establishing a branch in what its fighters call the “little emirate”: the war-torn country of Somalia.

Winning ground there won’t be easy. Al-Shabab, a Somali group linked to al-Qaeda, has a long-standing presence in the country at Africa’s eastern edge. It has threatened those who join the Islamic State with death. But that hasn’t stopped a trickle of fighters — likely a few dozen — from switching sides, raising concerns among U.S. officials who have invested hundreds of millions of dollars of aid in a new Somali government and a regional military campaign against Islamist extremists.

More News On Al-Shebab Fighters Pledging Allegiance To The Islamic State

Official: 200 Al-Shabab Fighters Pledge Allegiance to IS -- NYT/AP
2,000 miles from Syria, ISIS is trying to lure recruits in Somalia -- Washington Post
Some Shebab Islamists switching ties from Al-Qaeda to IS: Kenya -- AFP

Somalia's Al-Shabab Leaders Killed In Airstrike

7 al-Shabab Militants Killed in Somalia Airstrike -- Voice of America

Witnesses say an airstrike has killed seven members of the al-Qaida-linked rebel group al-Shabab in southern Somalia.

The air attack occurred early Friday in a rebel-controlled area known as Kilometer 60, south of the capital, Mogadishu.

Somali officials say an al-Shabab commander was among those killed when a missile from an unidentified plane struck a vehicle. A reporter for VOA's Somali Service says the dead include four foreigners and three Somalis.

Read more ....

More News On Today's Airstrike Against Al-Shabab

Airstrike said to kill al-Shabaab leaders -- UPI
Somalia air strike 'kills foreign al-Shabab militants' -- BBC
Mysterious Air Strike Kills 7 Al-Shabab Rebels in Somalia -- IBTimes
Reports of air attack said to kill 4 in Somalia -- Boston.com/AP

My Comment: The conflict against Somalia's Islamic militants is intensifying, with groups like al-Shabab suffering heavy loses. I guess these setbacks are providing opportunities, and international forces in support of the Somalia government are now taking advantage of them.

Meet The African Bin Laden Behind The Uganda Bombings

Members of Somalia's al-Shebab militant group during a graduation ceremony in Mogadishu on 1 January (Photo: IntelCenter/Reuters)

'At Your Service, Osama' - The African Bin Laden Behind The Uganda Bombings -- The Telegraph

As Somalia's al Shebab militants claim responsibility for bombings in Kampala, the Telegraph profiles their spiritual leader, accountant-turned-jihadi Ahmed Abdi Godane.

As befits a man who fears he has a US missile with his name on it, Ahmed Abdi Godane knows the importance of keeping a low profile.

The leader of Somalia's al-Shebab militant movement, he prefers to be heard rather than seen, ranting away in radio broadcasts from his group's strongholds in northern Mogadishu. Thanks to his fatwahs against pop music, foreign films and even televised football, he already has a captive audience - as of last week, though, he made the rest of the world take notice too.

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My Comment: I suspect that we are going to hear more of al-shebab and their leader Ahmed Abdi Godane in the future.