Al-Shabaab: Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

A connection to al-Qaeda goes back as far as the 1990’s. During the 1990’s cooperation between the IU and al-Qaeda strengthened. The IU allegedly received training, logistical and financial support from al-Qaeda. Some of its leaders even travelled to train and fight with bin Laden’s fighters in Afghanistan. One of these fighters was Sheikh Aadan Haashi Ayro, who eventually became leader of al-Shabaab until his death in 2008.

The extent to which al-Shabaab and the AQAP (al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) might be cooperating is a matter of intense speculation, most of it uninformed. Experts say there are links between individual al-Shabaab leaders and individual members of al-Qaeda, but any organizational linkage between the two groups is weak. However there are a few noticeable ties: 1) Several of al-Shabaab’s leaders trained and fought in Afghanistan, most likely with al-Qaeda and probably even had direct contact with Osama bin Laden. 2) It is known that al-Shabaab have provided shelter for top al-Qaeda leaders from East Africa. Al-Qaeda leaders receiving protection from al-Shabaab most likely reciprocate by providing technical assistance to al-Shabaab. The final connection between al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda is through the media. Al-Shabaab has reportedly sworn to support AQAP, Muktar Robow a rebel leader and spokesperson for al-Shabaab stated in August 2008 “we will take our orders form Sheikh Osama bin Laden because we are his students,’ he further stated that “Most of our leaders were trained in al-Qaeda camps.”

There is material suggesting that AQAP had acted as a go between for bin Laden and al-Shabaab and bin Laden agreed to grant al-Shabaab the same al-Qaeda franchise status as AQAP. Though al-Qaeda appears to support al-Shabaab’s jihad, it is unclear whether al-Shabaab has any ambitions beyond Somalia, as they apparently refuse to shift their focus away from Somalia and onto western targets or to change the group’s name to al-Qaeda in East Africa, because they fear this would enhance US interests. Although there are no clear links between al-Qaeda and al-Shabaab they do however share a long term ambition which is to unify the Muslim Ummah (nation) under a single Islamic Caliphate. Al-Shabaab’s main objective is to defeat the near enemy, the TFG and AMISON supporters and to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, however they have developed an international outlook. On the other hand Somalia holds little sentimental value for al-Qaeda, but it does hold strategic value, especially as a failed state with al-Shabaab in control of large parts of the south and it lies close to Yemen, just a boat ride away.