U.S. aids Somalia against al-Shabab

Mar 03 2023 Staff Writer

A pallet with military equipment for the Somali National Army sits on a truck in Mogadishu, Somalia, Feb. 28, 2023. The Danab is the Somali National Army’s elite military force leading combat operations against Al-Shabab, Al Qaida’s largest, wealthiest, and most violent affiliate. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman William Rio Rosado)

In a significant move, the United States increases its military support for Somalia in its ongoing fight against the extremist group Al-Shabab. The decision to provide more assistance comes as the US seeks to help Somalia strengthen its security forces and stabilize the country, which has been wracked by years of conflict and instability.

As a part of President Biden’s policy to counter terrorism “over and across the horizon”, the USA provided 61 tons of ammunition and weaponry to the Somalian government on Tuesday. This provision will help the Somalian government to neutralize the threat posed by what the US calls “the largest and most deadly al-Qaida network in the world”.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">US increases military support for Somalia against al-Shabab<a href="https://t.co/VzEvtMUQOw">https://t.co/VzEvtMUQOw</a> <a href="https://t.co/sAAWTy8y03">pic.twitter.com/sAAWTy8y03</a></p>— Defense News (@defense_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/defense_news/status/1630993731468902402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Al-Shabab is a Sunni Islamist extremist group active in Somalia since the mid-2000s. It emerged as a militant group in response to the country’s long-running civil war and the absence of a functioning government. The group has been particularly active in the southern and central parts of the country, where it has carried out attacks on government forces and civilian targets.

The recent rise in tensions between Al-Shabab and the locals is a result of the latter’s unjustified taxation policies as well as the ongoing severe drought in the country. Somalia, along with its neighbors, Kenya and Ethiopia immediately threw its support behind the local communities and militia to fight against Al-Shabab.

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The current Somalian president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is eager to eradicate terrorism and extremism from the country. His government is targeting the group’s financial networks as well as its extremist Islamic ideology with the support of prominent religious groups.

The US has been supporting Somalia’s government in its fight against Al-Shabab for several years, providing training, equipment, and other forms of assistance. However, the new announcement marks an expansion of US military involvement in the country, including the deployment of additional personnel and resources.

Somalia’s other security partners, Turkey, Qatar, UAE, and Britain are also providing resources and training to Somalian forces. They along with the US, also recently pledged to support Somalia in United Nations Security Council to lift its arms embargo on the country.

Although the impact of this increased US assistance is yet to be seen, it is worth noticing that the increase comes at a time when the African Union Force is approaching its withdrawal from the country’s security responsibilities and handing them over to Somalia by the end of 2024. The impact of the increased assistance is yet to be seen.