Al-Shabaab
Somalia-based Islamist movement affiliated with al-Qaeda
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| March 4 2025 | US Embassy in Mogadishu warned of imminent attack threats, leading to suspended personnel movements and flight cancellations by Turkish Airlines and Qatar Airways. |
| February 20 2025 |
Al-Shabaab launched attacks on villages and military bases in the Middle Shabelle and Hiran region, resulting in the deaths of 130 Al-Shabaab militants and dozens of Somali soldiers.
Africa File, February 27, 2025: SAF Advances West Toward Darfur; M23 and DRC Reset as International Pressure Grows on Rwanda; ISSP Poses Clear Transnational Threat; al Shabaab Central Somalia Offensive | Institute for the Study of War
www.understandingwar.org
United States Africa Command
www.africom.mil
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| December 26 2024 | Al-Shabaab confirmed the death of senior leader Mohamed Mire Jama in an American drone strike near Kunyo Barrow in the Lower Shabelle region. |
| August 2 2024 | Al-Shabaab attacked a beach restaurant in Mogadishu, killing at least 37 civilians and injuring 212. One soldier died, one attacker blew himself up, three were killed by security forces, and one was captured. |
| June 8 2024 | Al-Shabaab launched an attack on El Dher district, attacking two military bases with car bombs. The Somali government claimed to have killed 47 militants while suffering 5 casualties, including two colonels. |
| May 26 2023 | Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for an attack that reportedly killed between 54-137 soldiers at the Buulo Mareer base southwest of Mogadishu. |
| 2022 | Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohammed claimed al-Shabaab had approximately 15,000 to 18,000 fighters by late in the year. |
| 2022 | Carried out the Somali Ministry of Education bombings, continuing its pattern of high-fatality terrorist attacks. |
| October 29 2022 | Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a twin car bombing in Mogadishu targeting the Ministry of Education, killing 121 people and injuring 333, making it the deadliest attack since 2017. |
| September 20 2022 | Somali Ministry of Information released a statement that President Sheikh would not offer any option other than surrender for al-Shabaab members. |
| August 2022 | Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared 'total war' against Al Shabaab after a deadly hotel attack in Mogadishu, announcing the military had regained territory from the group in Galmudug and Southwest states. |
| July 2022 | Al-Shabaab launched an unusually bold, though short-lived, incursion into Ethiopian territory. |
| July 20 2022 | Al-Shabaab launched a major invasion into Ethiopia's Somali Region, with over 1,000 fighters conducting diversionary attacks on border towns and 500-800 fighters penetrating the security zone, advancing 150 km into the region. |
| February 2022 | A UN Security Council expert report estimated al-Shabaab's fighting force had grown to between 7,000 and 12,000 fighters. |
| 2021 | Puntland forces launched a military offensive against al-Shabaab due to the group's expanded operations in the region. |
| 2020 | United States Africa Command estimated al-Shabaab's fighter strength had increased to between 5,000 and 10,000 fighters, indicating a potential resurgence of the group. |
| 2020 | The Hiraal Institute estimated that al-Shabaab was collecting at least $15 million in monthly revenue, which was comparable to the Somali government's revenue. |
| June 2020 | Al-Shabaab acknowledged the COVID-19 pandemic and formed a coronavirus prevention and treatment committee. The group established a coronavirus treatment centre in Jilib, located south of Mogadishu. |
| January 2020 | Al-Shabaab targeted American military personnel in an attack on a Kenyan base. |
| 2019 | UN Security Council expert reports continued to document government military equipment entering black markets and being sold to al-Shabaab militants. |
| 2019 | Al-Shabaab began heavily extracting taxes from Mogadishu's major companies, collecting 2.5% of their annual profits, with more than half of the group's revenue coming from this source. |
| 2019 | Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the DusitD2 complex attack, stating it was retaliation against the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. |
| 2019 | United Nations estimated al-Shabaab's military budget at approximately $21 million for the year. |
| December 2019 | Al-Shabaab began a series of suicide truck bomb attacks on Mogadishu, which continued into 2022. |
| July 24 2019 | Al-Shabaab conducted a bombing in Mogadishu that killed Mayor Abdirahmean Omar Osman, with regional government employees directly involved in executing the attack, demonstrating the group's infiltration of government institutions. |
| 2018 | The Council of Foreign Relations and United States military revised al-Shabaab's fighter estimates downwards to between 3,000 and 6,000 fighters. |
| 2018 | Expert reports to the UN Security Council found that Somali government military equipment was being diverted to al-Shabaab through black markets. |
| December 2018 | Al-Shabaab launched 'Operation Disease Eradication', an offensive against ISIS, and released an 8-page treatise condemning ISIS's ideology and listing its crimes under the Quran. |
| November 2018 | UN Security Council lifted sanctions on Eritrea after years of investigations found no direct evidence of support to al-Shabaab. |
| July 2018 | Al-Shabaab announced a complete ban on single-use plastic bags in its controlled territories, citing environmental concerns. The group simultaneously imposed a ban on logging rare tree species, drawing mixed reactions about their environmental stance contrasted with their terrorist activities. |
| 2017 | Observers estimated al-Shabaab's fighter strength between 7,000 and 9,000 militants during this year. |
| October 2017 | Executed the October Mogadishu bombings, demonstrating continued capacity for large-scale terrorist attacks. |
| October 2017 | A suicide truck bombing in Mogadishu killed more than 500 people, including many children, with al-Shabaab suspected of involvement though not claiming responsibility. |
| 2016 | Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) likely provided equipment or expertise for al-Shabaab's laptop bomb, according to analyst Katherine Zimmerman's testimony to U.S. Congress. |
| March 2016 | Another laptop bomb explodes during screening, demonstrating the group's evolving bomb-making capabilities. |
| March 18 2016 | Singapore officially lists al-Shabaab as a terrorist organization. |
| February 2016 | Al-Shabaab attempts to detonate a laptop bomb mid-flight, killing only the bomber. |
| 2015 | Al-Shabaab carries out the Garissa University College attack, killing 148 people, specifically targeting Christian students. |
| 2015 | Islamic State (ISIL) began publishing online videos calling on al-Shabaab to switch allegiances from al-Qaeda to ISIL and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. |
| October 2015 | Senior al-Shabaab commander Abdul Qadir Mumin and approximately 20 followers in Puntland defected and pledged allegiance to ISIL, establishing Islamic State in Somalia (ISIS). |
| September 2015 | Al-Shabaab issued an internal memo reaffirming allegiance to al-Qaeda, banning discussions about ISIL, and detaining fighters who supported ISIL. |
| April 10 2015 | Somali authorities issue additional bounties ranging between $100,000 and $250,000 for information on al-Shabaab members. |
| April 3 2015 | Kenyan government offers 20 million Kenyan Shillings ($215,000) for information leading to the arrest of Mohamed Mohamud, an al-Shabaab operations commander in Kenya. |
| February 2015 | Al-Shabaab released a propaganda film calling for attacks on shopping malls in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. |
| 2014 | Suffered significant military losses during Operation Indian Ocean and lost its leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, which substantially weakened the organization. |
| 2014 | UN Security Council report alleged government officials were directly supplying arms to al-Shabaab militants. |
| 2014 | Flow of recruits from Arab countries and the West substantially diminishes, except for recruits from Yemen. |
| 2014 | Al-Shabaab established its own Ministry of Finance, signaling a more structured approach to managing its financial resources and revenue streams. |
| 2014 | Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah becomes the new emir (leader) of Al-Shabaab, replacing Ahmed Godane and continuing to lead the militant group from 2014 to the present. |
| November 15 2014 | United Arab Emirates officially lists al-Shabaab as a terrorist organization. |
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