100 Kenyan Al Shabaab Detained For Spying For ISIS, Others Flee As Infighting Increases

Highlights:

• Over 100 al Shabaab militants of Kenyan decent are reportedly in custody in jails in Jillib and Buale of suspicion of spying on Al Shabaab for ISIS.
• On 23^rd October 2015, Harakat al Shabaab al Mujahedeen Puntland arm led by their spiritual leader; Sheikh Abdul Qadir Mumin pledged allegiance to ISIS through an audio statement.
• The moves prompted the deployment of the Amniyaat wing backed by special fighters of the al Shabaab to arrest and or kill the militants with ISIS allegiances.
• Rumors of heavy infighting and discontent in the al Shabaab’s leadership have emerged with reports indicating a major fall out waiting to happen.

Analysis:

Credible OSINT reports, more than 100 Kenyan al Shabaab militants are being detained by Amniyaat wing of the al Shabaab in jails in Jillib and Buale for purportedly spying for ISIS.

The arrested militants are just among the few who are feeling the heat of interrogation and vetting by the al Shabaab to determine their loyalties.

Kenyan security forces have also intercepted and arrested another batch of fleeing al Shabaab terrorists running away from Somalia. Al Shabaab militants of Kenyan decent have been subjected to atrocities in past few days as they are being forced to choose a bloc to support.

The recent pledge of allegiance of one arm to ISIS, has brewed a lot of tension with brutal infighting emerging among factions conflicted in pledging allegiance to Daesh or affirming their allegiance to al Qaeda.

Summary:

Defection, infighting and shifting allegiances are only but among the major challenges the al Shabaab is facing following the wholesome counterterrorism campaign launched by the AMISOM troops with global support from countries like US, UK, UAE among other key powerful kingpins.

The infighting among al Shabaab ranks and factions is also evidenced by recent reports of al Shabaab fight against each other over (Zakah) tax collection. The fight over tax collection clearly indicates the stretched financial situation of the al Shabaab group.

The crisis within the al Shabaab is a clear indication of the damage that the militants have suffered from the AMISOM troops and the desperation to reinvent themselves and search to gain mileage. It also exposes their weakness and allows for possible manipulation of their vulnerabilities to finally annihilate them before they morph into anything else.