Who are al-Shabab?
Al-Shabab is an Arabic word which means the youth.It is a radical youth wing of Somalia's now-defunct union of Islamic courts, which controlled Mogadishu in 2006, before being forced out by Ethiopian forces.It is labled as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters.There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, from neighbouring countries, as well as the US and Europe.
Who are al-Shabab's foreign links?
The terror group released a video in 2012 with its former leader Ahmed Abdi Godane pledging allegiance to the al-Qaeda terror movement.Several reports linked al-Shabab to other terror groups in Africa, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, based in the Sahara desert.Al-Shabab also debated whether to switch allegiance to the Daesh terror group after it emerged in January 2014, however, that has not yet been confirmed.
