OVERVIEW

Al-Shabaab flag

Al-Shabaab is a Sunni Islamic terrorist group that publicly pledged loyalty to al-Qa‘ida in 2012. The group seeks to overthrow the Somali Federal Government, expel foreign forces from Somalia, and establish a fundamentalist Islamic state. Since 2014 al-Shabaab has killed more US citizens than any other al-Qa‘ida affiliate, and as of 2025, the group is al-Qa‘ida’s wealthiest component.

Al-Shabaab formed as the military wing of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which briefly controlled central and southern Somalia in 2006. After the ICU was removed from power by UN-backed Ethiopian forces in December 2006 and disbanded, al-Shabaab remained active and used foreign intervention to gain support for its struggle against occupying forces. Al-Shabaab uses radio broadcasts, websites, and social media to disseminate its propaganda to local and global audiences.

OPERATING AREA
Maintains stronghold in southern Somalia; mainly conducts operations in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia

MEMBERS
Between 7,000 and 12,000

TACTICS AND TARGETS
Al-Shabaab targets US and other foreign military forces, including African Union Mission personnel, Somali Government and security forces, and civilian targets, such as hotels, shopping malls, universities, and busy intersections. The group has carried out mass-casualty attacks in Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. Al-Shabaab’s complex attacks generally consist of an IED or VBIED detonation, followed by small-arms fire. The group also conducts ambushes, military-style assaults, kidnappings, mortar attacks, and assassinations in Mogadishu, such as an attempted assassination in March 2025 of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

TERRORIST GROUP DESIGNATION
The US State Department designated al-Shabaab as a foreign terrorist organization in March 2008. Many of the group’s senior leaders and officials—including explosives experts, operations plotters, and Kenya-based cell leaders—are Specially Designated Global Terrorists.

KEY LEADERS

NOTABLE ATTACKS