Despite increased Al-Shabaab activity in the past two weeks of February where small to large scale attacks have been reported in Somalia theater, the Al-Qaeda associated force has also suffered significant blows from counterterrorism operators.
On February 16. the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) mounted an intelligence led operation against the Islamist Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab terrorist group, killing over 20 operatives, national and corresponding local media reported.
The well coordinate operation against Al-Shabaab was carried late Wednesday. According to Somali police spokesman Col. Abdifatah Aden Hassan, the attacks, which began just before 1 a.m. (2200 GMT) local time, targeted police stations and checkpoints in two quiet neighborhoods, Kahda in Mogadishu, and the Darussalam suburb on the city’s outskirts. The militants also looted small arms from the station including two police pickups.
Initial reports indicated that the attack began with vehicular suicide bombing (SVBIED) that killed at least five people, including two civilians, and wounded 16 others.
Notably, delay in elections and lack of proper sharing of intelligence have attributed to the increased/resurgence of Al-Shabaab activity in Somalia. The Horn of Africa country continue to recorded an average of two attacks on daily basis and CT assets forecast that the trend will remain unchanged in the coming days and weeks.
