Al-Shabaab

Al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based jihadist militant group affiliated with al-Qaeda, continues to be one of the most resilient and well-funded terrorist organizations in the world.

The United Nations has issued a stark warning that the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is on the brink of collapse due to an alarming 15-month delay in troop salary payments. The crisis threatens to reverse critical security gains made against the militant group Al-Shabaab and destabilize not only Somalia but the broader Horn of Africa region.

The Republic of Kenye has signed a defence cooperation with the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, in a move geared towards stabilisation of security along the shared border in the wake of al-Shabaab attacks within the Northeastern parts of Kenya.

Reliable sources have confirmed to Horn Life, that the United States has suspended its support to Somalia’s elite Danab Special Forces, a highly trained commando unit within the Somali National Army that has long received training, equipment, and mentorship from Washington.

Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Somalia's former president, whose government managed to flush al- Shabaab out of Mogadishu in 2011, now says swathes of the country have been captured by the militants, while faulting the current administration of "incompetence" and lack of an effective military strategy and "political goodwill".

Somalia’s military court on Monday executed two al-Shabaab members by firing squad after convicting them of involvement in targeted killings and ambush attacks.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud should be held responsible for the Al-Shabaab surge in various parts of the country, the opposition leaders said, arguing that the obsession with constitutional changes has triggered the current stalemate.

Heavy airstrikes were witnessed in central Somalia over the weekend, with the US Africa Command and the Somali National Army (SNA) working closely to eliminate Al-Shabaab militants who are working hard to topple the government.