Somalia was struck by twin car bombings near Somalia’s education ministry in
Mogadishu on Saturday. More than 100 casualties were reported, with 300 others
wounded. Al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s formal affiliate in East Africa, claimed
responsibility for the bombings—together the deadliest since 2017.





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Al-Shabaab Kills More Than 100 In Deadliest Bombings Since 2017



(New York, N.Y.) – Somalia was struck by twin car bombings near Somalia’s
education ministry in Mogadishu on Saturday. More than 100 casualties were
reported, with 300 others wounded. Al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda’s formal affiliate in
East Africa, claimed responsibility for the bombings—together the deadliest
since2017
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. The group reportedly targeted the ministry for what it claims are efforts to
“remov[e] Somali children from Islamic faith” by receiving support from
non-Muslim countries. Al-Shabaab has also been “angered by a high-profile new
offensive” by the Somali government in targeting its financial network.



The United States has declared “al-Shabaab as one of al-Qaida’s deadliest
organizations” and has recently targeted the terror group militarily with
airstrikes in conjunction with the Somali government. The U.S. alsolevied
sanctions
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targeting al-Shabaab’s leaders and weapons trafficking network.



“Al-Shabaab’s devastating attack on civilians in Mogadishu demonstrates how
powerful the group has become and the lengths to which it will go to regain
full control of the country,” stated Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Senior
Director and former Coordinator of the U.N. Security Council’s ISIL (Da’esh),
al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Monitoring Team,Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler
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internal security situation has been deteriorating for quite some time and
al-Shabaab has been able to grow into one of the most significant al-Qaeda
affiliates in Africa and the wider region. Due to its pervasive intrusion into
the Somali economy and a range of criminal operations, including extortion on a
large scale, it is certainly the best financed affiliate in Africa. Somali
President Hassan Mohamud must continue to work with his allies in the region
and beyond as well as with the international community to stabilize the
country. In turn, the Biden Administration should maintain its support to the
country through physical or financial pressure against the terror group. The
tools at Somalia’s disposal are effective measures that will disrupt and
mitigate future threats.”



To read CEP’s resource Somalia: Extremism and Terrorism, please click here
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Since the spring of 2022, the United States strengthened their efforts against
the threat posed by al-Shabaab. FollowingBiden’s May 2022 order
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authorizing the deployment of 450 U.S. Special Operations forces inside
Somalia, the U.S. and Somali governments began actively targeting the group
with airstrikes to offset growing violence. Biden also authorized the U.S.
military to target suspected leaders of al-Shabaab, particularly a dozen
special-skilled militants who are suspected of playing roles in developing
plots outside of Somalia. As recently as October 23, the U.S. carried out an
airstrike near Buulobarde, northwest of Mogadishu, which killed two al-Shabaab
members. A few weeks before that, on October 1, the United States launched an
airstrike near Jilib, southwestern Somalia, that killed Abdullahi Nadir, a
co-founder of al-Shabaab who was in line to succeed the group’s current ailing
leader,Ahmed Diriye
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.



On October 17, the U.S. Department of State designated
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al-Shabaab leaders as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) including
Mohamed Mire, who leads the group’s interior wing and oversees the group’s
strategy and activities in Somalia, and Yusuf Ahmed Hajj Nurow, chief of
Amniyat, al-Shabaab’s intelligence wing that plays a major role in carrying out
suicide attacks and assassinations in the region.



To read CEP’s resource Al-Shabaab, please click here
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