Government operations; the government continued the ‘total war’ with high intensity attacks on al Shabaab positions, capturing and neutralizing more militants including ranking commanders. Al Shabaab’s head of radicalization, Yusuf Mohamed Jingab is one of the causalities as confirmed by the Office of the Prime Minister.[1] More al shabaab members have also crossed ranks and surrendered to the government forces especially in the Galmudug region.[2] The sustained onslaught has seen al shabaab crumble in terms of the general coordination and communication within their ranks. Social media is awash with reports of arrest and detention of journalist Jamal Osman, a channel 4 reporter suspected of close links to al shabaab leadership.[3] The government has also doubled efforts aimed at addressing the political tensions arising from the operations and the harmonization of the federal and regional level justice systems. The deployment of Turkish Bayraktar TB 2 drones has resulted in immediate impact, diminishing the fighting capabilities and tactics of the Al Shabaab terror group.[4]

Liberated Territories; liberated villages/territories also increased with al shabaab counter attacks aimed at retaking the territories successfully thwarted by government organized government forces. The new towns/territories have been liberated especially in the Middle Shabelle region where the intensity of the operations have concentrated aimed at liberating all the towns in the region. Food and basic aid is distributed to the liberated territories by the relevant government agencies to support the vulnerable populations and eliminate any chances of al shabaab gaining a foothold. There is also a need for reconstruction of critical infrastructure especially communication and water supply in the liberated areas. Visualizations of the liberated territories in maps, figures, tables among others is gaining traction among researchers and journalist as shown in the example below.[5]

Attacks; al shabaab continued to show resilience conducting operations targeting Somali Federal security positions and military camps mainly using road side bombs, IEDs and coordinated gun attacks. Causalities from al shabaab attacks reduced significantly, which credits the work of the Federal security teams and international partners.[6] Al shabaab also increased cross border attacks especially in Kenya to disrupt the December celebrations and New Year activities, mainly targeting border regions in the North Eastern and Coastal areas of the country.[7] Tactics in Kenya included hijackings, torching of houses/villages and the targeting for elimination of critical leaders for different Somali sectors especially security.[8]

[1] Nasra Bashir Ali [@NasraBashiir], “The National Intelligence and Security Agency Has Confirmed the Death of Yusuf Mohamed Jingab. Https://T.Co/GAVGn6aldl,” Tweet, Twitter, December 17, 2022, https://twitter.com/NasraBashiir/status/1604208564813254656.

[2] Nasra Bashir Ali [@NasraBashiir], “Four Senior Members of #Alshabab Terrorists Including, Mohamed Ali (Moalim Hudeyfa) Who Was the Commander of Alshabab Terrorists in #Middleshabelle Region Surrendered to the Army While 8 Other Terrorists Were Apprehended, on Monday. #Somalia Https://T.Co/OGCqTHHye5,” Tweet, Twitter, December 19, 2022, https://twitter.com/NasraBashiir/status/1604900998304174103.

[3] The Daily Jubba [@DailyJubba], “Journalist Jamal Osman Detained at Aden Adde Airport in #Mogadishu by National Intelligence & Security Agency. Https://T.Co/MmdEQvKtUm,” Tweet, Twitter, December 18, 2022, https://twitter.com/DailyJubba/status/1604565920802033664.

[4] Rashid Abdi [@RAbdiAnalyst], “The Deployment of Turkish Drones in the Fight against Al-Shabaab Has Dealt the Jihadist a Big Blow. Https://T.Co/8pRrzxUFfC,” Tweet, Twitter, December 18, 2022, https://twitter.com/RAbdiAnalyst/status/1604374552225517568.

[5] Abdi Barud [@AbdiBarud], “A Self-Explanatory Map of Areas Liberated from Al-Shabaab. Https://T.Co/V7EMxbQHIO,” Tweet, Twitter, December 11, 2022, https://twitter.com/AbdiBarud/status/1601968851805212679.

[6] INTERPOL [@INTERPOL_HQ], “🚔 INTERPOL’s Counter-Terrorism Unit Supports Operations in 🇰🇪🇺🇬🇹🇿 🇸🇴 Operation SPIDER II: Https://T.Co/ZnkFXI0wgH,” Tweet, Twitter, December 9, 2022, https://twitter.com/INTERPOL_HQ/status/1601256080092585985.

[7] Reuters, “Al Shabaab Militants Kill Two Policemen, One Civilian in Eastern Kenya,” Reuters, December 22, 2022, sec. Africa, https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/al-shabaab-militants-kill-two-policemen-one-civilian-eastern-kenya-2022-12-22/.

[8] Cyrus Ombati, “2 People Shot Dead, Dozen Houses Torched by al-Shabaab in Lamu,” The Star, December 26, 2022, https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2022-12-26-2-people-shot-dead-dozen-houses-torched-by-al-shabaab-in-lamu/.