Förenade arabemiraten attackerar al-Shabab i Somalia

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen simply known as al-Shabaab is a transnational Salafi Jihadist militant organization. It is involved in the ongoing Somali Civil War, controlling a non-contiguous network of primarily rural areas in southern and central Somalia that some consider a quasi-state. Since 2011, the group refers to the territory under its control as the Islamic Wilayaat of Somalia, although it has not formally declared itself as an emirate. The Federal Government of Somalia does not recognize these titles or territorial claims. Al-Shabaab has invoked takfir to rationalize its terrorist attacks on Somali civilians and civil servants. It is, in a more limited capacity, active elsewhere in East Africa, and has pledged allegiance to the militant organization al-Qaeda. Al-Shabaab has been designated as a terrorist organization by numerous countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, as well as several EAC and EU member-states. The militant group remains subject to international sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, and other jurisdictions. Formed in the mid-2000s as a youth militia within the wider military wing of the Islamic Courts Union, Al-Shabaab came to prominence during the 2006–2009 Ethiopian invasion and occupation of Somalia, during which it presented itself as a vehicle for the waging of armed resistance against the occupying Ethiopian army. In subsequent years, it gained popular support from Somalis and became a dominant force in south and central Somalia, defending large swathes of territory by fighting against the African Union Mission to Somalia and the Federal Government of Somalia, as well as the latter's transitional predecessor. Al-Shabaab gained international prominence due to its recruitment of foreign fighters. Between 2011 and 2013, a coalition of African Union forces, led by the Somali government, wrested a significant amount of territory from Al-Shabaab, including the capital city, Mogadishu. During the same period, the group was plagued by internal conflicts over its leadership and ideological direction, which intensified when, in February 2012, Al-Shabaab's leadership pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda. It suffered further military losses in 2014, as a result of Operation Indian Ocean, and the killing of its emir, Ahmed Abdi Godane. Several years thereafter, Al-Shabaab retreated from the major cities, but it remained influential in many rural areas, and it prioritized guerrilla attacks over territorial acquisitions. It is responsible for many high-fatality attacks, including the 2013 Westgate attack, October 2017 Mogadishu bombings and the 2022 Somali Ministry of Education bombings. Apart from its activities in Somalia, the group also operates in East African neighboring countries, extending its insurgency to Kenya's border regions with its Jaysh Ayman wing and carrying out a major incursion into Ethiopia in 2022. Attendant to its recent resurgence, it was estimated to have increased its combat strength to between 7,000 and 18,000 fighters during 2022.