Al-Shabaab has intensified use of tricycle and car laden bombs in Mogadishu Somalia. The attacks were successful particularly in assassinations operations and crowd targeted attacks.
We have also observed small units conduct sophisticated and spectacular assaults on military bases, breaching defenses and laying a successful siege.
These events confirm a bias of perfection of the trade-craft, a turning point on future attacks on both hard and soft targets in theater.
The use of tricycles in the terror strategy is noteworthy owing to the fact a tricycle hardly attracts much interest as would a vehicle.
Surveillance or checkpoints hardly suspect tricycles could be explosives laden. Also it is important to note that tricycles will not be allowed to malls or inside buildings hence are more likely to be used in crowded open areas such as bus stops, outside restaurants and along streets.
Car bombs are lethal, especially when used on buildings or facilities which can amplify the explosion. Bar’s and malls are targets.
Future attacks by Al-Shabaab terrorists will largely focus on these three strategies.
- The tricycle bomb on crowded areas
- A Car bomb in a building or rammed into a popular bar at night
- And the small gunmen unit targeting crowds or security personnel.
