Midweek East Africa Counterterrorism Intelligence Brief in Period of July 24th – July 28th: Tracking and Monitoring Al-Shabaab’s Activity in East Africa (Kenya and Somalia)

Rising Al-Shabaab activity continue to be reported in the East African nation of Somalia. Despite the coronavirus pandemic surging in Somalia, Al-Shabaab on the other hand has exploited the situation to intensify attacks from across a number of theaters in Somalia.

In the barely five days, Al-Shabab has claimed at least ten attacks from across the regions of Somalia. Notably, attacks remain persistent in central and southern regions of Somalia. In Mogadishu, Al-Shabaab continue to target Somali police and other government officials, while in Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba and Bay regions, Al-Shabaab has targeted both local and foreign troop’s bases and convoys.

Somali police from last week has dealt huge blow with a number of attacks targeting their patrol units and their outpost especially in the capital Mogadishu. The Al-Qaeda aligned militants continue to employ suicide missions and IED attacks as preferred attack types. Notwithstanding, ambush raids are also very common in central and southern regions of Somalia citing bushy vegetations that gives the militant’s advantages of staging formidable guerilla ambushes on security forces’ convoys.

Recently Claimed Attacks (July 24^th – July 28^th)

• On July 24^th, A Somali Special Forces’ soldier was killed two others wounded and their armored vehicle destroyed by an explosive device (IED) planted by Al-Shabaab operatives in Wadajir district of Mogadishu.
• On July 25^th, Al-Shabaab court in the city of El-Buur, Galgadud region of central Somalia charged a man over rape claims. Was sentenced to one hundred lashes and payment of livestock as compensation before being expelled from the general Galgadud region.
• On July 25^th, Al-Shabaab claimed attacks on AMISOM’s bases in Hoosingo and Kolbio towns, Lower Juba region, located near the volatile Kenya-Somalia border. The attempted attacks were successfully repulsed though the militant’s propaganda media announced that one soldier was killed and two others wounded in the ambush assault.
• On July 25^th, Al-Shabaab claimed an ambush assault on a convoy of Somali government soldiers in the suburb of Bardale, Bay State region of Somalia. Initial reports indicate that al least one SNA soldier was killed and one other wounded.
• On July 26^th, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for attack near the town of Jaljala in the suburb of Bosasso city in the state of Bari, Puntland north-eastern Somalia. Al-Shabaab IED raid claimed the lives of two Puntland solders and wounded two others besides destroying a military pickup vehicle they were traveling in.
• On July 26^th, Al-Shabaab IED explosion targeted SNA convoy outside Kismayo, the capital of Lower Juba region of Somalia. Initial reports indicate that at least one government soldier was killed and another wounded in the IED blast that also damaged their vehicle.
• On July 26^th, A Somali police chief was wounded in IED explosion outside Mogadishu. The regional police chief of Lower Shabelle region identified as Ibrahim Bimalow and his two bodyguards were wounded when his car was targeted by an Al-Shabaab claimed IED explosion in Wardigley district.
• On July 26^th, A suicide bomber struck shortly after noon Sunday in front of a police station in Hamar Weyne district of Mogadishu killing two police officers and wounding three others.
• On July 27^th, Al-Shabaab assassins shot dead a Somali police officer in Mogadishu’s Tarabunka junction. Al-Shabaab through its pro-media claimed responsibility of the attack. Local media reports indicated that the slain police officer named Fayte was a Commander of Hodan District Police Station.
• On July 27^th, Al-Shabaab claimed a mortar attack, targeting a central base of the Somali Prison Guard forces in Hodan district of Mogadishu. Initial reports indicate that Turkish and Somali officers were present. Casualties reported.
• On July 27^th, Al-Shabaab claimed assassination of Abdullah Wedo, one of the government of officials of the city of Wajid. He was shot and killed in the city of Dinsoor, in the southwestern Bay region of Somalia.

The Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab militant group remains the primary direct threat to peace and security in Somalia in particular and the Horn of Africa region in general. The uptick in the group’s activities continues to be recorded revealing that the region has become a soft flank for militant’s activity in East Africa. Though most of the group’s attacks are low-scale raids, they are significant to the group’s survival and relevance.

Strategic Intelligence (S.I) continues to track and monitor the Islamist militant’s activity in the Horn of Africa region and warns of unchanged militant’s upsurge. This trend has not changed. Tts not getting any better and the curve is trending upwards, if not decisively countered, could deal blows to counter-terrorism gains so far made in the mapped regions of Somalia.