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Conflict With Al-Shabaab in Somalia

Somali Terrorist Group Al-Shabab Kills Eleven People

  • Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed eleven people in Mogadishu yesterday (Voice of America)

U.S. Launches Another Air Strike Against al-Shabab in Somalia

  • The United States carried out an air strike against al-Shabab militants yesterday, its third in less than two weeks. The strike targeted the same area as previous air strikes in late July (Voice of America)

U.S. Launches Second Somalia Air Strike in Week

  • The United States carried out an air strike against al-Shabab militants in Somalia on Friday, its second such action in a week (New York Times)

U.S. Conducts First Air Strike in Somalia Under Biden

  • The United States carried out a drone strike against al-Shabab militants in Somalia, its first such strike in the country under the Biden administration, which in January announced new limits on drone strikes outside active war zones (New York Times)

Al-Shabab Bomb Targeting Somali Police Kills Nine

  • Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack in Somalia’s capital city of Mogadishu that killed at least nine people and injured eight others. The explosive also targeted and hit the vehicle of the Mogadishu police commissioner (Associated Press)

Al-Shabab Fighters Executed in Somalia’s Puntland Region

  • Twenty-one members of al-Shabab were sentenced by a military court and executed in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland (BBC)

Attack at Mogadishu Military Camp Kills at Least Fifteen

  • A witness said that at least fifteen army recruits died in a suicide bombing at a military training camp in the Somali capital claimed by al-Shabab (Reuters)

Somalia Reaches Agreement on Elections

  • The government and some regional leaders agreed to hold parliamentary elections within sixty days, followed by a presidential vote. The deal ended a months-long impasse (Washington Post)

Al-Shabab Suicide Bombing Kills Six in Somalia

  • An al-Shabab attack killed six police officers and injured six others in front of a Mogadishu police station. Among those killed was the commander of the district police (Reuters)

Al-Shabab Kills Seven in Suicide Bombing in Somalia

  • Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed at least seven people and wounded eleven others. The vehicle exploded outside of a police headquarters in Somalia’s capital (Associated Press)
  • Separately, Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo announced that he will not extend his term and called for immediate elections (Al Jazeera)

Somalia’s Political Struggle Turns Violent

  • Talks between Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo and his opponents devolved into violence yesterday as pro-government and opposition forces clashed in the capital, Mogadishu. Farmaajo failed to hold elections in February and recently signed legislation extending his term, a move that drew condemnation from the United States and other countries (New York Times)

Al-Shabab Claims Attacks on Bases in Somalia

  • The militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for attacks on two military bases on Saturday, in which at least fifteen people were killed (Associated Press)

Al-Shabaab Storms Jail, Kills Seven

  • Seven soldiers were killed after al-Shabaab militants stormed a jail in Puntland today. Al-Shabaab claimed that four hundred prisoners were released in the attack, including some militants who were in jail for over ten years (Reuters)

Violence Erupts in Mogadishu

  • Government forces and protesters supporting opposition groups fought today in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, with reports of gunfire and rocket explosions. The protesters are angered by delayed elections, and the opposition says President Mohamed Farmaajo is ruling illegitimately (Reuters)

Al-Shabaab Kills Thirteen in Somalia

  • Al-Shabaab killed thirteen members of Somalia’s security force in a bombing near Dhusamareeb, where country leaders met and failed to resolve an impasse on holding elections, leaving President Mohamed Farmaajo without a successor (Deutsche Welle, Agence France-Presse) Opposition leaders and the state of Puntland said they will not recognize Farmaajo once his mandate expires today (Garowe Online)

Talks Begin in Last-Ditch Effort to Break Somali Election Impasse

  • Somali leaders kick off talks today to prevent a constitutional crisis when President Mohamed Farmaajo’s mandate expires on February 8 (Garowe Online)
  • Disputes between Somalia’s central government and its states have twice postponed elections to choose new lawmakers, who select the president, leaving Farmaajo without a successor (Deutsche Welle)

Attack on Somali Hotel Kills Nine

  • Nine people were killed and ten injured in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital of Mogadishu (Reuters)
  • The Islamist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, which began with a car bombing and evolved into a firefight between militants and security forces (BBC)

U.S. Charges Al-Shabab Operative

  • U.S. prosecutors charged a Kenyan man with planning to hijack an airplane and crash it into a building in the United States. Prosecutors said he was an operative for the Somalia-based terrorist group al-Shabab and that he trained to be a pilot in the Philippines (New York Times)

U.S. Troops to Leave Somalia

  • The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will withdraw most of the roughly seven hundred U.S. troops in Somalia by early 2021. Some will be reassigned to neighboring countries. U.S. troops in the country have supported counterterrorism efforts against al-Shabab (New York Times)

Al-Shabab Leaders Sanctioned

  • The United States sanctioned two al-Shabab leaders for plotting an attack on a military camp in January. Three Americans died in the attack on the base, which is used by the U.S. and Kenyan militaries (Nation)

Bombing in Somalia Kills Three

  • A car bombing killed three Somali military officers and injured three other people, including a U.S. service member. The attack occurred in a part of southern Somalia reclaimed from the militant group al-Shabab days earlier (New York Times)

Attack in Somalia Kills Sixteen, Wounds Dozens

  • An attack on a high-end hotel in Mogadishu killed at least sixteen people and injured dozens more. The assault, claimed by the terrorist group al-Shabab, involved a suicide car bombing and three-hour shoot-out between militants and government forces (Al Jazeera)

Somali Security Forces Kill Al-Shabab Fighters in Prison Uprising

  • Four al-Shabab militants incarcerated at Mogadishu’s central prison were killed in a shoot-out with Somali security forces after the inmates launched an attack using weapons smuggled into the facility. Three prison guards were also killed, officials said. Another inmate is believed to have escaped and murdered two civilians (Voice of America)

AFRICOM: U.S. Air Strike Caused Civilian Casualties in Somalia

  • U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) revealed that a February U.S. air strike near Jilib, Somalia, killed one civilian and injured three others. AFRICOM’s commander said it tries to prevent civilian casualties, though rights activists have alleged U.S. operational secrecy limits accountability for such incidents (Reuters)

Al-Shabab Claims Attack in Somalia’s Capital

  • The terrorist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing outside a Turkish military base in Mogadishu that killed at least two people (Al Jazeera)