It’s the worst terrorist attack in Kenya since 1998. For the last several years, the

US and other supporting governments have targeted Al-Shabaab, with Kenya recently launching

air raids against the group’s bases. So, where exactly did Al-Shabaab come from, and

how strong are they now?

Well, back in 2006, the transitional government of Somalia was in the middle of a civil war

against the rapidly expanding Islamic Courts Union, which controlled much of southern Somalia.

US backed Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia and eventually took back Somalia’s capital,

Mogadishu, from the ICU. Following the ICU’s loss, militant hardliners split off and continued

their war against the invasive Ethiopian military.

This Islamic insurgency is now known as al-Shabaab. Most notably, they’ve recruited a number

of foreign jihadists, including at least 40 Muslim Americans. By 2009, they had retaken

Mogadishu, and claimed responsibility for a number of deadly bombings, in particular

targeting Christians. By mid-2011 though, al-Shabaab forces fled Mogadishu, and a taskforce

of Kenyan, Somali, and Ethiopian military troops began a campaign to wipe out the insurgent

group.

In 2012, with between 7000 and 9000 members, al-Shabaab pledged their allegiance to al-Qaeda.

However, a number of sources, including an ex-al-Shabaab American recruit, note that

unlike al-Qaeda, al-Shabaab’s ambitions lie in dominating the region rather than aligning

themselves with all out global jihad. This split has lead to a weakened alliance and

infighting. In 2014, a joint military operation comprised of the Somali and African Union

forces, as well as the US, began launching air strikes and local attacks to reclaim insurgent-held

territory. Over the past few months, numerous Al-Shabaab leaders have been killed, most

of southern Somalia has been retaken, and at least 700 militants have defected to the

Somali government.

Some have pointed to the recent attack in Kenya as a sign of the group’s desperation

and weakness. Unable to attack military targets, they’ve instead turned to killing innocent

civilians. The Council on Foreign Relations has said that currently, the group is at its

weakest point in years, and as US Somali forces continue their military campaign, al-Shabab

is running out of places to hide.

Boko Haram, another violent jihadist group is still causing extreme conflict on the other

side of the African continent. To learn how this group grew from a small motorcycle gang,

check out our video here. Please subscribe, and thanks for watching TestTube!