The Latest - Somalia
2 Eritrean Officials Designated for Supporting Shabaab
The US Treasury Department designated six supporters of Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, on July 5. Among the six are two Eritrean intelligence officials. more...
7 Shabaab Leaders Added to Rewards for Justice Most Wanted List
The US State department has added seven senior leaders of Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, to the Rewards for Justice list. more...
Bin Laden Told Shabaab to Hide al Qaeda Ties
In August 2010, al Qaeda emir Osama bin Laden sent a letter instructing the leader of Shabaab, Mukhtar Abu al Zubayr, to hide the ties between the two terror groups so as not to draw international attention. more...
Omar Hammami ‘Not Endangered by the Mujahideen,’ Shabaab Claims
Shabaab said that Omar Hammami "is not endangered by the Mujahideen" and that it is "surprised" by a video released by the leader in which he said he feared for his life. Shabaab denied that it presented any danger to Hammami, an American commander in the group who is also known as Abu Mansour al Amriki. more...
Shabaab Abandons Western City as Ethiopian Troops Advance
As Ethiopian forces continue to press their offensive in Somalia, Shabaab forces have relinquished control of a key southern city that has been under the terror group's control for three years. more...
Hostages
Those who like to think that mankind is making progress toward the rule of law should have a look at the considerable number of hostages nowadays. more...
Al Qaeda’s Unsurprising Merger
Several years ago, I was having drinks at an Irish bar with an intelligence official. (Al Qaeda is always best discussed while drinking Guinness.) He had brought with him several pages of publicly available statements made by leaders within Shabaab, more...
Shabaab Formally Joins al Qaeda
Shabaab and al Qaeda have announced their formal merger, according to a video disseminated online today and translated by the SITE Intelligence group. more...
Strategic Retreat
The killing of Osama bin Laden was a monumental tactical success in the war against al Qaeda. For millions, bin Laden had come to symbolize American weakness. more...
Navy SEALs Free 2 Western Hostages in Somalia
US Navy SEALs from SEAL Team Six conducted a successful nighttime raid in Somalia to free an American woman and a Danish man being held by kidnappers in Somalia. more...
British Shabaab Operative Killed in Airstrike in Somalia
Shabaab said that a British national who was "from the early people who came to jihad in Somalia" was killed in a US drone airstrike. The slain operative was a senior al Qaeda leader in East Africa. more...
Shabaab Names New Leader of Kenyan Branch
Shabaab, al Qaeda's affiliate in Somalia, has designated a radical Kenyan preacher who has advocated jihad across the globe to lead its branch in Kenya. The Muslim Youth Center, a radical Islamist group in Kenya, said that Shabaab named Sheikh Ahmad Iman Ali its "Supreme Amiir," or leader, on Jan. 10. more...
Al Qaeda Round-Up, 2012
As we enter a new year, I wanted to outline the contours of, and analyze, a few issues that are likely to feature prominently in the fight between the U.S. and al Qaeda in 2012. more...
Shabaab Publishes IDs, Information on Slain Burundian Soldiers
Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked terror group based in Somalia, announced on Radio Furqaan that it has the identification cards of at least 10 Burundian soldiers who have been killed in Mogadishu. more...
Jihadist Releases Bio of Yemeni al Qaeda Operative Killed in Somalia
A jihadist released a martyrdom statement for a seasoned al Qaeda operative who waged jihad in Bosnia, Dagestan, Chechnya, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia; escaped from a prison in Yemen; and trained an American to fight in Somalia. more...
America’s 4-Prong Strategy for Somalia
After years of strategic drift in Somalia, the U.S. appears to have developed a new strategy for this battle-torn country. This four-part approach, which is based on our research and confirmed by U.S. government sources more...
Suicide Bomber Kills 15 Somalis in Mogadishu
A Shabaab suicide bomber killed 15 Somalis in an attack in Mogadishu today as Kenyan forces advance against the terror group in the south. more...
In the Pirates’ Lair
For years, Somali pirates have been hijacking ships off the coast of Somalia. For years, the United States and what we credulously call “the international community” have not been able to figure out what to do about it. more...
Somalia’s Drought, America’s Dilemma
The Horn of Africa is currently wracked by what seems to be its worst drought in 60 years, with tremendous humanitarian consequences. more...
Senior Shabaab Commander Rumored to Have Been Killed in Recent Predator Strike
A senior Shabaab commander who fought in Afghanistan and has close ties with al Qaeda is reported to have been killed in the Predator airstrike that took place in southern Somalia late last month. The report is unconfirmed. more...
Experts
Chairman of FDD, Fmr. Director of the CIA
Senior Fellow
Director, Center for the Study of Terrorist Radicalization
Senior Fellow and Editor of The Long War Journal
Senior Fellow
Visiting Fellow