AL-Shabab Terrorist Group Analysis - Research Paper Example

AL-SHABAB TERRORIST GROUP goes here] [Your goes here] [Due the paper] Introduction Terrorism has been a continuous threat to the security of the world for the last couple of decades. It not only poses threat to the lives of people but also causes economic instability in the targeted areas because the level of investment in such areas goes significantly down due to insufficient security and a continuous threat of terrorism. Although it has always remained a potent threat to security in some way or other, but since 1990s this term has got a high fame in almost every part of the world due to the formation of several terrorist groups and organizations mainly based in Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. At present, a wide range of terrorist organizations are carrying out their activities in different parts of the world. Some of the most notable active and passive state-sponsored terrorist organizations include Hamas (Palestine-based organization), Hezbollah (Lebanon-based organization), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan-based organization), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (Pakistan-based organization), Boko Haram (Nigeria-based organization), Al-Qaeda (Afghanistan-based organization), and Al-Shabab (Somalia-based organization). All of these terrorist groups and organizations have provided a serious threat to the security of their targeted countries and are continuing to do so. These entire terrorist organizations share a common religious ideology based on which they strive for the exclusion of foreign forces from their homelands, as well as for the implementation of Islamic laws and principles in their occupied territories. In this paper, Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahiddin, which has been designated as a terrorist foreign organization by Norway, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and the United States of America, will be explored in order to get a good understanding of its objectives, financial resources, organizational structure and leadership, warfare tactics, sources of recruitment, and all other related areas. Origin of Al-Shabab Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahiddin, commonly known as ‘Al-Shabab’, is one of the main terrorist organizations of the world. Al-Shabab is an Arabic word which means ‘The Youth’. The group calls itself a jihadist group with aim to establish and implement Shariah in all occupied areas of Somalia. Based in Somalia, the origins of al-Shabab lie in the movement related to the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). A group was formed, namely ‘Hizbul Shabaab’, in 2004 with the aim to fight against the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism. The group went through some big transformations in the later years which eventually led to the formation of al-Shabab in 2006 or 2007. Somalia is one of the world’s most impoverished and politically unstable countries in the world. When there is political instability, the chances of the formation and growth of illegal and terrorist organizations increase. According to Masters (2013), Somalia has undergone decades-long political tumult in the past due to which various Islamist radical organizations found their roots. Analysts believe Al-Ittihad Al-Islami (aka Unity of Islam) to be the main starting point for Al-Shabab. AIAI was a former Salafi militant group that emerged after the outbreak of civil war due to the fall of the two decades long Siad Barre military regime. Armed and funded by Al-Qaeda in 1990s, the objective of AIAI was to develop an Islamist emirate in Somalia. However, the group’s top leadership and fighters, which also included the commanders of today’s al-Shabab, had to escape in Afghanistan after being successfully pushed out by the Somali and Euthopian armies in 1990s. The group continued to re-organize in Afghanistan where it underwent a major change in 2003 in which the young members of AIAI decided to create a new political group for the establishment of an Islamic laws based ‘Greater Somalia’. “The hardliners eventually joined forces with an alliance of shariah courts, known as the Islamic Courts Union, serving as its youth militia in the battle to conquer Mogadishus rivaling warlords” (Masters, 2013). Being a derivative and militant wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), al-Shabab became a self-proclaimed branch of another terrorist organization, namely ‘Al-Qaeda’, and gained the support and acceptance of Ayman al-Zawahiri who is the leader of al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahiddin terrorist organization has the strength of almost 7000 to 9000 well-trained militants at the present. According to the recent news about Al-Shabab, “It is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters” (BBC, 2014). Objectives of Al-Shabab Every terrorist group has some key objectives which it achieves using power and violence. In case of al-Shabab terrorist organization, the main objectives include getting rid of the influence of the foreign forces in Somalia and establishing a pure and practicing Islamic state by overthrowing the present government. It is like a religion-based terrorist organization which seeks to implement all Islamic laws in the country. A religion-based terrorist organization always aims to form such setup in a country which should be completely based on the teachings and values of the religion of the terrorists. For achieving this aim, such groups use power, force, and even violence to create terror and threat in the minds of the local citizens. Such groups target civilians first to get their support and then start targeting the government to enforce their desired laws and regulations. In case of al-Shabab, implementation of the Shariah laws is the main objective of the organization. As Fergusson and Hansen (2013) state, “By 2010, al Shabab, the most militant of several Islamist groups that claim loyalty to al Qaeda, had gained control of the southern half of the country”. This shows that the group had achieved a big portion of their objective by the year 2010 until the African Union based international force carried out the operation against the group to regain the territory. Al-Shabab has never retreated from its objectives although it has been retreated successfully by the international forces in 2010. The group continues to fight against the government of Somalia to gain independence and implement Shariah laws in the region. The areas which are in complete control of al-Shabab have undergone a radical change from secularism to extremism. The enforcement of Shariah laws, ban on the entertainment facilities, ban on smoking and all kinds of drugs, ban on co-education, ban on the shaving of beards, ban on music, and ban on all activities that have recumbence to the cultures of Western countries have been strictly implemented in those regions. Not only this, death penalties and other harsh punishments are also given to the accused people. People of those regions have to obey all regulations set by the terrorist group in order to save their lives. As Masters (2013) states, “Al-Shabab often kidnaps young boys from school and forces them to fight and die in battle”. This is just a form of extremism because Islam does not force the practicing of its teachings on anyone. Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. It never speaks for fundamentalism or extremism in any case. Al-Shabab’s activities and enforcement of laws by force go completely against the teachings of its own religion. Organizational Structure of Al-Shabab At present, the head of the al-Shabab terrorist organization is Ahmed Abdi Godane. Godane belongs to the northern region of Somalia and is the successor of Moalim Aden Hashi Ayro who has been killed by the forces of the United States in 2008 (BBC, 2014). The exact organizational structure is not known may be due to the complexity because of its ties with other terrorist organizations. However, a common and known point is that all decisions and tactics, either political or military, are taken by the top leaders of the group some of whom include Ahmed Godane (the current head), Ali Mahamoud Rage (spokesman), Abd al Qadir Mu’min (preacher), Ibrahim Haji Jama al Afghani, Fu’ad Muhammad Khalaf, Abu Mansur, Suldaan Muhammad, Ali Fiidow, and Ali al Muhammad and Hussein. Although the organizational structure is unclear, but the group has made a proper government structure in the areas which have been in its control since 2007. There is a governor for every province of the occupied territory which resembles the Islamic government structure of the Golden Islamic Age. The provinces are further broken into small local districts in which there is proper police and military force, donation offices, and Shariah courts. The group is also involved in building roads, mosques, hospitals, schools, and all infrastructural facilities for the people living in the occupied areas (TRAC, 2013). Financial Resources of Al-Shabab Financial sources are very important for a terrorist group to keep operating in the targeted areas effectively and efficiently. In case of al-Shabab terrorist group, there are multiple and strong sources which provide funding to the organization. Those financial sources range from donations to state sponsors. The group has been receiving zakats and taxes from Somali people living in their occupied areas. In all Somali exports, imports, and businesses that are done within the occupied territory of Somalia, taxes are applied which shows that the group has people with strong economic background and knowledge. They run how to run a country an how to arrange finance for running country affairs. “Zakats are collected at mosques and have supplied the bulk of support for al Shabaab’s operations in recent years” (TRAC, 2013). The group not only receives funding from local citizens in the form of Zakat and donations but also receives finds in the form of donations from individuals all over the world. Along with Zakat, Somali citizens also provide water, food, clothing, housing support, and all basic essentials of life to the militants of al-Shabab. There also exist some other sources which equally support the funding requirement of al-Shabab. Some of those sources include that have benefitted al-Shabab from funding side over the years include state sponsors, other terrorist groups, kidnapping, piracy, and the extortion of local businesses (Masters, 2013). State sponsorship also supports the agenda of al-Shabab from political, ideological, and financial perspective. Some of the main state sponsors of al-Shabab include Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Qatar, and Eritrea (Masters, 2013). Activities of Al-Shabab Al-Shabab has been a continuous threat to the civilians and the government of Somalia since its formation. The main targets of al-Shabab include law enforcement agencies of Somalia, government officials, UN personnel and infrastructure, politicians and civilians, and the military of Ethiopia (TRAC, 2013). The group has carried out a number of terrorist attacks on their targets within Somalia in order to get control of the region. Not only this, the group also continues to target the neighboring countries of Somalia to cause terror in those countries. Such groups attack neighboring countries in order to stop them from supporting the government of home country. An example of this is Ethiopia which is a neighboring country of Somalia. Al-Shabab has allegedly been involved in plotting terrorist attacks on Ethopia due to which the security forces of Ethiopia (Masters, 2013). Kenya which is another neighboring country of Somalia has also been on target of al-Shabab’s terrorists for a long time. In September 2013, the group killed a large number of foreign tourists and local people of Kenya by attacking a mall in Nairobi. All of the people killed in the mall were foreign nationals and non-Muslims. This shows that that group consists of extremist fighters who cannot even see the presence of the people from other religions in their region. This attack on the mall has been declared as the deadliest terrorist attack on the soil of Kenya. Al-Shabab carried out this terrorist attack with the assistance of al-Hijra, which is a Kenyan local terrorist organization. This proved the point that al-Shabab has its foreign links with many other terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda and al-Hijra. Counterterrorism analysts have all the evidences to prove that al-Hijra and al-Shabab have strong strategic-operational ties and they enjoy strong logistical relations with their extremist affiliates in Burundi and Rwanda (Masters, 2013). An important fact about this organization is the existence of two main groups in al-Shabab with slightly different perspectives about the range of activities. One group aims for implementing Islamic laws in Somalia and run the country according to the laws of Shariah. The second group aims for even more after getting control of Somalia. This group wants to expand the activities of the organization to other parts of the world in the form of jihad as an effort to spread Islam and implement Islamic laws all over the world. However, the main governing body has a strong control on both groups which is the reason why the group has not seen any major division since its formation. Al-Shabab’s Sources of Recruitment Sources of recruitment also hold an important place in the effective operating strength of terrorist groups and organizations. In case of al-Shabab terrorist organization, there are a number of recruitment sources that provide fighters and militants to the organization. Al-Shabab terrorist group recruits members from Arab countries. Some of those countries include Syria, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. It also recruits individuals from Afghanistan where its main affiliate, Al-Qaeda, has a strong presence and influence. In the recent years, al-Shabab has been found recruiting people of the Somali-American diaspora, which is a very negative trend, as well as a top domestic terrorist threat (Masters, 2013). Volunteers have also been a key part of al-Shabab’s militant strength. Al-Shabab also recruits individuals from some other areas of the United States, which include California, Ohio, New Jersey, and Virginia which are all populated by a large number of Somali Americans. The group also recruits individuals from the largest Somali populated area of the United States which include Minneapolis. These individuals come to the group and offer their services as volunteers. The U.S. sources have confirmed that nearly 14 young Minnesotans have joined al-Shabab terrorist group as volunteers in 2009 and they were given the responsibility of killing the target personalities through suicide bombing (Al Jazeera, 2013). Two young Minnesotans, Farah Mohamad Beledi and Shirwa Ahmed are the Minnesota based suicide bombers who received training from al-Shabab after travelling to Somalia as Jihad volunteers (Masters, 2013). Links with Al-Qaeda Terrorist organizations usually have some outside links with other terrorist organizations which not only support the objectives of each other but also provide military support when needed. In case of al-Shabab, the situation is not different. Al-Shabab has strong links with al-Qaeda and al-Hijra terrorist organizations with which it carries out terrorist attacks on its targets outside Somalia. With al-Hijra, al-Shabab has targeted Kenya multiple times. However, the main ally of al-Shabab is al-Qaeda which provides logistic, as well as monetary support to al-Shabab. “There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, and the group has claimed to be allied with al-Qaeda” (BBC, 2014). The formal alliance between al-Shabab and al-Qaeda took place in 2012 when al-Shabab’s leader Mukhtar Abu Zubair pledged his commitment to the cause of al-Qaeda and to the global terror movement (Associated Press, 2013). Al-Shabab has also allowed al-Qaeda to operate from the Somali soil the evidence of which is the attacks on a Kenyan resort in Mombasa by al-Qaeda cell in Somalia. Al-Shabab also provides shelter and safe place to the militants of al-Qaeda in Somalia. According to the Associated Press (2013), “Some of the al-Qaeda terrorists who bombed the United States embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 were given refuge in Somalia”. This shows that al-Shabab and al-Qaeda enjoy a good working relationship and maintain strong links between them. Warfare Tactics of Al-Shabab Al-Shabab terrorist organization uses a wide range of warfare tactics to carry out its operations. Some of the main warfare tactics that the group uses include small-arm attacks, suicide bombings, assassinations, and remote controlled bombing on the targets. The group provides guerilla training to its members, which is considered an essential part of their training (TRAC, 2013). Along with suicide attacks and roadside bombing, the group also uses straight firing on the targets as a key warfare tactic. The use of suicide attacks has become a very successful tactic for all terrorist organizations. Al-Shabab has also made use of suicide assault teams to execute attacks on its targets, such as, the suicide attack on Somalia’s president in Mogadishu in 2012, attack on the United Nations Development Program in Mogadishu in 2013, and attack on the parliament house in Mogadishu in 2014 (TRAC, 2013). Present Status and Future of Al-Shabab At present, al-Shabab is one of the main terrorist organizations that are playing a significant role in destabilizing the law and order situation of the world. The group has carried out multiple deadly attacks on Somali infrastructure, government officials, security forces, and civilians. The group has also attempted several suicide attacks on their targets in Kenya, Uganda, and Somalia. It has also targeted Ethiopian forces in the past and continues to be a big threat for them at the present. However, the group has faced some big resistance and use of force by the African Union force recently due to which it has went back a step or two. The elected government and forces of Somalia need to capitalize on the recent destruction caused by the African Union force in order to grasp the opportunity of changing Somalias trajectory (Associated Press, 2013). Conclusion Summing it up, al-Shabab terrorist organization has been a major threat to Somalia and its neighboring countries for almost a decade. The group comprises of youth which aims to transform the current system of Somalia into a pure Islamic system where Islamic rules and regulations are followed and practiced in every political and social matter. The group has carried out a number of terrorist attacks on military and police force, government servants, civilians, and infrastructure of Somalia. The group has also targeted Kenyan and Ethiopian forces and infrastructure several times. The main sources of funds for the group include charity, donations, kidnapping for ransom, and state sponsorship by some Arab nations. The group recruits members mainly from Arab countries and the United States. The force of the group also includes a large number of volunteers who have the same political and religious ideology as of the group. They join the group to help it in the cause of creating a practicing Islamic state in Somalia. References Al Jazeera. (2013, September 21). What is al-Shabab? Al Jazeera America. Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/21/who-is-al-shabab.html Associated Press. (2013, September 22). 10 things to know about Somali militants al-Shabab. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/22/10-things-al-shabab/2849841/ BBC. (2014, May 16). Who are Somalia’s al-Shabab? BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15336689 Fergusson, J., & Hansen, S. (n.d.). The world’s most dangerous place: Al Shabaab in Somalia. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139805/james-fergusson-stig-jarle-hansen/the-worlds-most-dangerous-place-inside-the-outlaw-state-of-somal Masters, J. (2013, September 23). Backgrounders. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.cfr.org/somalia/al-shabab/p18650 TRAC. (2013). Al Shabaab. Tracking Terrorism. Retrieved from http://www.trackingterrorism.org/group/al-shabaab Annotated Bibliography Al Jazeera. (2013, September 21). What is al-Shabab? Al Jazeera America. Retrieved from http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/21/who-is-al-shabab.html This article provides information on how an anti-government movement turned into a violent group. It uncovers the group’s main targeted areas and sources of recruitment. Associated Press. (2013, September 22). 10 things to know about Somali militants al-Shabab. USA Today. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/09/22/10-things-al-shabab/2849841/ This article provides information about how Al-Shabab emerged, what their financial sources are, why they attack Kenya, and what its links with Al-Qaeda are. BBC. (2014, May 16). Who are Somalia’s al-Shabab? BBC. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-15336689 This article provides all basic information about the Al-Shabab militant group. It contains details about the group’s leadership, its control in Somalia, and its foreign links. Fergusson, J., & Hansen, S. (n.d.). The world’s most dangerous place: Al Shabaab in Somalia. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139805/james-fergusson-stig-jarle-hansen/the-worlds-most-dangerous-place-inside-the-outlaw-state-of-somal This article talks about the emergence of Al-Shabab, chaotic politics of Somalia, and the role of Al-Shabab in making Somalia the most dangerous place in the world. Masters, J. (2013, September 23). Backgrounders. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.cfr.org/somalia/al-shabab/p18650 This article includes in-depth information about Al-Shabab. Some main areas covered in this article include the origin of Al-Shabab, its objectives, and U.S. policy in Somalia. TRAC. (2013). Al Shabaab. Tracking Terrorism. Retrieved from http://www.trackingterrorism.org/group/al-shabaab This article provides information about Al-Shabab’s terrorist activities inside and outside Somalia. It also covers information about the structure of Al-Shabab and its warfare tactics. Outline of the Paper Title: Al-Shabab Terrorist Organization I. Introduction a. Rise of terrorism b. Different terrorist organizations and their shared ideology c. Purpose of the paper II. Understanding of the Group a. Origin of Al-Shabab i. Information about the history of the group ii. How the group came into existence b. Objectives of Al-Shabab i. Key objectives of the group ii. How the group rules the occupied areas c. Organizational Structure of Al-Shabab i. Information about the current leader and main officials of the group ii. Structure of the government in occupied areas d. Financial Resources of Al-Shabab i. Information about the sources that fund the group ii. State sponsorship – an active source of funds e. Activities of Al-Shabab i. Information about the activities of the group in targeted areas ii. Presence of two groups having slightly different viewpoints f. Al-Shabab’s Sources of Recruitment i. Arab countries as the main sources of recruitment ii. Volunteers from the United States g. Links with Al-Qaeda i. Information about the connection between al-Qaeda and al-Shabab ii. Information about the alliance and working relationship h. Warfare Tactics of Al-Shabab i. Information about the tactics that the group uses to accomplish its missions i. Present Status and Future of Al-Shabab i. Where the group stands at the present ii. What can be done to reduce the threat posed by the group III. Conclusion a. Summary of the key points of the paper Read More