ICC Note: Ethiopian troops have been pulled out of several towns in Somalia and Al-Shabaab radicals have wasted no time in seizing control of those towns again by raising their black flags. The Islamic fighters have been responsible for several of the attacks against Christians in both Somalia and Kenya. On October 25th, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack and killing of 12 Christians in Mandera, near the Kenyan border with Somalia to rid the area of Christians and other non- Muslims.
10/27/2016, Somalia (CTV News) – Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, are making a comeback, having recently seized four towns and attacked a guesthouse in neighbouring Kenya, killing 12.
The resurgence of Al-Shabab, which is allied to al Qaeda, could affect Somalia’s plans to hold elections next month and further destabilize what is already one of the world’s most failed states.
The rebels had steadily lost ground over the past five years, first losing control of the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 and then being pushed out of virtually all of Somalia’s other major cities and towns. This was largely the work of the African Union force of 22,000 soldiers from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti, which is supported by the UN. The relatively weak Somalia army, with 35,000 troops, also participated in the operations.
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