page_title: Al-Shabaab (militant group)
section_title: History and activities
hierarchical_section_title: Al-Shabaab (militant group) / History and activities
caption_attribution_description: Afrikaans: Hierdie kaart toon die state, streke en distrikte van Somalië, sowel as die huidige situasie in Somalië. العربية: هذه خريطة تبين الدول والمناطق والمقاطعات في الصومال، وكذلك الوضع الراهن في الصومال. Azərbaycanca: Bu harita dövlətlərin, regionların, Somali və rayonlarında, eləcə də Somali cari vəziyyət göstərir. Беларуская: На карце паказаны дзяржавы, рэгіёнаў і раёнаў Самалі, а таксама бягучай сітуацыі ў Самалі. Български: Тази карта показва държави, региони и области на Сомалия, както и на настоящата ситуация в Сомалия. Català: Aquest mapa mostra els estats, regions i districtes de Somàlia, així com la situació actual a Somàlia. Čeština: Tato mapa ukazuje státy, regiony a okresy Somálska, jakož i aktuální situaci v Somálsku. Cymraeg: Mae'r map hwn yn dangos y dywed, rhanbarthau, ac ardaloedd o Somalia, yn ogystal â'r sefyllfa bresennol yn Somalia. Dansk: Kort over regioner og distrikter i Somalia, samt hvilke af disse områder som kontrolleres af diverse selv-udråbte "stater". Desuden er angivet områder i nabolandene med somalisk bosætning. Deutsch: Diese Karte zeigt die Länder, Regionen und Bezirke von Somalia sowie die aktuelle Situation in Somalia. Ελληνικά: Αυτός ο χάρτης δείχνει τα κράτη, τις περιφέρειες και περιοχές της Σομαλίας, καθώς και την τρέχουσα κατάσταση στη Σομαλία. English: This map shows the states, regions, and districts of Somalia, as well as the current situation in Somalia. Esperanto: Ĉi tiu mapo montras la ŝtatoj, regionoj kaj distriktoj de Somalio, tiel kiel la aktuala situacio en Somalio. Español: Este mapa muestra los estados, regiones y distritos de Somalia, así como la situación actual en Somalia. Eesti: See kaart näitab riikide, piirkondade ja linnaosade Somaalia, samuti praegune olukord Somaalias. Euskara: Mapa honek Somaliako estatu, eskualde eta barrutiak erakusten ditu, hala nola egungo egoera Somalian. فارسی: این نقشه نشان می دهد ایالات، مناطق، و مناطق سومالی، و همچنین وضعیت کنونی در سومالی است.Suomi: Tämä kartta näyttää valtioiden, alueiden ja piirien Somalian, samoin kuin nykyinen tilanne Somaliassa. Français&#160;: Cette carte montre les Etats, les régions et les districts de la Somalie, ainsi que la situation actuelle en Somalie. עברית: מפה זו מציגה את מדינות, אזורים ומחוזות של סומליה, כמו גם את המצב הנוכחי בסומליה. Magyar: Ez a térkép mutatja az államok, régiók és körzetek Szomália, valamint a jelenlegi helyzet Szomáliában. Bahasa Indonesia: Peta ini menunjukkan negara, daerah, dan distrik Somalia, serta situasi saat ini di Somalia. 日本語: このマップは、状態、地域、ソマリアの地区と同様に、ソマリアの現状を示しています。 한국어: 이지도는 국가, 지역 및 소말리아의 지구뿐만 아니라 소말리아에서 현재 상황을 보여줍니다. Nederlands: Deze kaart geeft de staten, regio's en districten van Somalië, evenals de huidige situatie in Somalië. Norsk bokmål: Dette kartet viser stater, regioner og distrikter i Somalia, samt den nåværende situasjonen i Somalia. Polski: Ta mapa pokazuje stany, regiony i okręgi z Somalii, a także aktualną sytuację w Somalii. Português: Este mapa mostra os estados, as regiões e os distritos da Somália, assim como a situação corrente no pais. Română: Această hartă indică statele, regiunile, districtele din Somalia precum și situația curentă din această țară. Русский: На карте показаны государства, регионы и районы Сомали, а также текущая ситуация в Сомали. Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски: Ova mapa prikazuje država, regiona, okruga i Somaliji, kao i trenutne situacije u Somaliji. / Ова мапа приказује држава, региона, округа и Сомалији, као и тренутне ситуације у Сомалији. Українська: На карті показані держави, регіонів і районів Сомалі, а також поточну ситуацію в Сомалі. Tiếng Việt: Bản đồ này hiển thị các bang, khu vực, và huyện của Somalia, cũng như tình hình hiện nay ở Somalia.
context_page_description: Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen, more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is a terrorist, jihadist fundamentalist group based in East Africa. In 2012, it pledged allegiance to the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda. In February 2012, some of the group's leaders quarreled with Al-Qaeda over the union, and quickly lost ground. Al-Shabaab's troop strength was estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014. As of 2015, the group has retreated from the major cities; however, al-Shabaab still controls large parts of the rural areas.
  Al-Shabaab began as the armed wing of the Islamic Courts Union, which later splintered into several smaller factions after its defeat in 2006 by Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and the TFG's Ethiopian military allies. The group describes itself as waging jihad against "enemies of Islam", and is engaged in combat against the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union Mission to Somalia. Al-Shabaab has been designated as a terrorist organization by Australia, Canada, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.
context_section_description: While al-Shabaab previously represented the hard-line militant youth movement within the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), it is now described as an extremist splinter group of the ICU. Since the ICU's downfall, however, the distinction between the youth movement and the so-called successor organization to the ICU, the PRM, appears to have been blurred. Al-Shabaab had recently begun encouraging people from across society, including elders, to join their ranks. In February 2012, Fu'ad Mohamed Khalaf Shongole, the chief of awareness raising of al-Shabaab, said that "At this stage of the jihad, fathers and mothers must send their unmarried girls to fight alongside the (male) militants". The addition of elders and young girls marks a change in the movement, which had previously involved only men, particularly young boys.
  Their core consisted of veterans who had fought and defeated the secular Mogadishu faction leaders of the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism (ARPCT) at the Second Battle of Mogadishu. Their origins are not clearly known, but former members say Hizbul Shabaab was founded as early as 2004. The membership of al-Shabaab also includes various foreign fighters from around the world, according to Islamic hardliner Mukhtar Robow "Abu Manssor".
  In January 2009, Ethiopian forces withdrew from Somalia and al-Shabaab carried on its fight against former ally and Islamic Courts Union leader President Sharif Ahmed, who was the head of the Transitional Federal Government. Al-Shabaab saw some success in its campaigns against the weak Transitional Federal Government, capturing Baidoa, the base of the Transitional Federal Parliament, on January 26, 2009, and killing three ministers of the government in a December 3, 2009 suicide bomb attack on a medical school graduation ceremony.
  Before the drought in 2010, Somalia, including the al-Shabaab-controlled areas, had its best crop yield in seven years. Al-Shabaab claimed some credit for the success, saying that their reduction of oversized cheap food imports allowed Somalia's own grain production, which normally has high potential, to flourish. They asserted that this policy had the effect of shifting income from urban to rural areas, from mid-income groups to low-income groups, and from overseas farmers to local farmers. However, in response to the drought, al-Shabaab announced in July 2011 that it had withdrawn its restrictions on international humanitarian workers.
  In 2011, according to the head of the UN's counter-piracy division, Colonel John Steed, al-Shabaab increasingly sought to cooperate with other criminal organizations and pirate gangs in the face of dwindling funds and resources. Steed, however, acknowledged that he had no definite proof of operational ties between the Islamist militants and the pirates. Detained pirates also indicated to UNODC officials that some measure of cooperation on their part with al-Shabaab militants was necessary, as they have increasingly launched maritime raids from areas in southern Somalia controlled by the insurgent group. Al-Shabaab members have also extorted the pirates, demanding protection money from them and forcing seized pirate gang leaders in Harardhere to hand over 20% of future ransom proceeds.
  Despite routinely expelling, attacking, and harassing aid workers, al-Shabaab permits some agencies to work in areas under its control. At the height of its territorial control it implemented a system of aid agency regulation, taxation and surveillance. Where agencies are allowed to operate, this is often due to the desire of al-Shabaab to coopt and materially and politically benefit from the provision of aid and services. Senior aid agency representatives often strongly rejected claims that they talked with al-Shabaab, while aid workers working in al-Shabaab-controlled areas often reported they directly negotiated with the group out of necessity.
  Al-Shabaab was known as the most prominent terrorist-organization in Somalia which was succeeded to clear away from the bigger cities of the state by the end of 2013.
  While 
caption: Political situation in Somalia as of April 2017.
exif: {}