Somalia

ADF STAFF Al-Shabaab, the terrorist group that continues to launch deadly attacks against Somali civilians, Soldiers and international peacekeepers, has reached its 18th anniversary. The group’s long lifespan is significant as an…

ADF STAFF Tension already was bubbling in the Horn of Africa in late August when two desert-camouflaged Egyptian military cargo planes landed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu with weapons, ammunition and about 300 special forces…

ADF STAFF Militaries can no longer assume they dominate the skies. Extremist groups are increasingly using drones to conduct surveillance, guide mortar attacks, and deploy as miniature, airborne weapons platforms. The widespread…

ADF STAFF Somali security forces intercepted a shipment of suicide drones being secretly transported across the Puntland region, possibly to be deployed against military and peacekeeping forces in the nation’s south. The five devices,…

ADF STAFF United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed was among the many speakers who delivered stark assessments on extremist violence in Africa at a counterterrorism summit earlier this year in Abuja, Nigeria. “The situation…

ADF STAFF Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an August 21 suicide bomb attack that killed 10 people, including seven security officers and two civilians, at a security checkpoint in Mogadishu. In another August attack,…

ADF STAFF Details are emerging about the new peacekeeping mission that will succeed the African Union’s current multilateral force in Somalia known as ATMIS when it concludes operations at the end of this year. On August 1, the AU adopted…

ADF STAFF Northern Somalia, with its mountains, coastal towns and sparsely populated hinterlands, has felt the presence in recent months of a revitalized Islamic State affiliate (IS-Somalia) — its rise in prominence an increasing menace to…

ADF STAFF Cyberattackers are using a new, low-cost weapon to disrupt internet access to media sites across Africa — one that is difficult to defend against and rapidly proliferating. The method of attack, called a distributed…

ADF STAFF Al-Shabaab in late July launched nearly simultaneous attacks on the Somali villages of Buulo Xaaji and Harboole and targeted three military bases where members of the Somali National Army and Jubaland State paramilitary…