Burundi troops prepare for a deployment to Somalia in support of the African Union mission there

March 12, 2010

Briefing Package: The Terror Threat from Somalia

Chris Harnisch
Burundi troops prepare for a deployment to Somalia in support of the African Union mission there. (Photo by Rick Scavetta, US Army Africa)

A terror group in Somalia called al Shabaab poses a real and imminent threat to U.S. national security. The group has threatened to attack the U.S., and in the past it has demonstrated the ability to act upon threats. Today, al Shabaab controls nearly all of southern Somalia and much of central Somalia - the largest amount of territory controlled by any militant Islamist group in the world. The Critical Threats Project has prepared and presented the below briefing package to aid in the understanding of the threat posed by al Shabaab.

The briefing package includes information on the following issues:

  • Background information on Somalia
  • Information on the Transitional Federal Government, AMISOM, Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama'a, and Hizb al Islam
  • Detailed information on al Shabaab, including its origins, tactics, ideology, links with al Qaeda, and recruiting efforts
  • Policy considerations for the way forward

Please find the briefing package used in the presentation attached below.