Somali and Western Fighters Push Back Against Al-Shabaab

A renewed Western offensive against terror in Somalia earlier this year has yielded impressive results. In January, the US donated weapons to Somali forces to aid in the fight against the terrorist group. In addition, the US has also aided in the training of the Danab, the country's elite counter-terror unit. In the last six months, western/Somali counter-offensives have been incredibly successful. The renewed push at the start of this year has caused the terror group to lose one-third of its territory, according to US Ambassador to Somalia, Larry Andre. 

Though these offences have been a success, Al-Shabaab has claimed they were actually a failure. According to an interview with the group's spokesperson, reported by VOA News, Ali Mohamoud Rage, the original plan was for the group to be eradicated after those six months. Though he claims this, the group has lost more than five hundred kilometres of territory. 

Despite the pushback of the group, the strategies and Western influence involved in such offensives have been questioned by others in the Somali Government. Many have called into question the solely militaristic strategy ignoring the ease of radicalisation for the group. Another reason people fear subsequent offences may fail is the Government favouring the Army over local forces, who were crucial in the first offence's success. Former Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanaloshe believes that these important local fighters have been left out of the next phases of planning. Leaving out clans and smaller communities who have also fought against Al-Shabaab is a dangerous thing to do, especially if they were instrumental in the first offensive's success. Somali politicians have called for the implementation of social policies that focus on locals to curb Al-Shabaab's control. The opposition in Somalia believes that the presence of the Western military in the country is damaging and that closer ties to Russia were the way forward to counter Al-Shabaab.