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Intelligence summaries indicate the rising need for African Mission troops in Somalia to change their overall tactics in battling out the terror group Harakat Al Shabaab Al Mujahideen.
This follows a recent analysis that reveals the changed tactics that the terror group has come out in staging attacks in Somalia with eagerness to spread their forced system of Sharia laws to civilians.
Analysis and Forecast
Despite recent AMISOM offensives waged to Al Shabaab, the militants still cling to a huge chunk of significance in Somalia and remain an unyielding force determined to destabilize Somalia and the whole of the East African region.
Their recent attack claimed a total of 12 soldiers belonging to Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF), after Al-Shabaab militants overran a military camp under the guard of UPDF in southern Somalia on Tuesday September 1, 2015.
Since 2010, AMISOM has conducted three major joint offensives with a mix of Somali forces against al-Shabaab. The latest, dubbed Operation Jubba Corridor began in July and involves Ethiopian and Kenyan troops targeting the three regions (Bay, Bakool, and Gedo) that have borders with their two countries.
The operation has so far succeeded in dislodging al-Shabaab from two of their major stronghold towns – Bardhere and Dinsoor. The militants had controlled these towns for the previous eight years.
AMISOM has a more reliable intelligence gathering capability that has been trusted to pre-empt threats that could have otherwise resulted into bigger casualties.
Bardhere was a strategic crossing point for the militants, from where they could stage attacks on neighboring regions, and could even attempt to cross over to Kenya. This tactic of cutting the militants off their accessibility to their target regions was a terrible blow to the militants.
AMISOM’s two previous offensives, Operation Indian Ocean and Operation Eagle also ousted al-Shabaab from its urban strongholds and coastal towns, stymying the group’s ability to generate millions of dollars through manning ports and imposing taxes on goods.
From then onwards, AMISOM has been able to cut terrorists from their resources, further crippling their capability.
In terms of pushing Al Shabaab out of their major strongholds, Amisom have gained a plus. Future tactics by the regional mission will now bank on a change of tactics that will include
- Following and flushing the militants out of their hideouts in the countryside where they run to after they are pushed out of major towns.
- Beefing up the troops to outnumber the militants who continue to carry out recruits
- Cutting the militants out of their supplies
- Increasing the mission’s capability with more resources
As it is, there is an energized commitment to finish off the terrorists by both regional and foreign efforts. On 7th September 2015, the Chinese government donated USD1.2 million to beef up AMISOM finances. On the following day on 8th September, the United States renewed its ties with Somalia, with an aim to contribute towards flushing out Al Shabaab militants.
