As authorities prepare fresh military operations against the extremist organisations al-Shabab and Islamic State, Somali officials are advising the federal and regional governments of Somalia not to underestimate their might.
Al-Shabab retaliated by setting off devastating bombs, storming military stations and infrastructure, and killing several people despite recent accomplishments in driving the extremist organisation out of wide rural areas in central Somalia.
In the most recent incident on Tuesday, an al-Shabab suicide vehicle bomber struck a building holding regional officials who were organising mobilisations against al-Shabab in the town of Bardhere, Gedo area. Four troops were killed and nine others were injured in the attack.
At least five soldiers were killed when al-Shabab carried out an attack on a military installation in the hamlet of Janaa Cabdalle on March 7.
Al-militia Shabab’s strength remains “intact,” according to Somali officials, who also claim previous operations did not significantly reduce the group’s power.
“I suppose on one hand they have been significantly hurt, but their strength remains intact,” stated two-time former Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke. Notwithstanding recent tactical retreats, their power should not be underestimated.
The organisation is especially well-entrenched in the southern Jubaland and Southwest areas, according to Mohamed Abdi Tall, the governor of Bakool region, which plans to join the second phase of the attack.
Tall stated that due to the size of the nation, participation in the operations against al-Shabab will require both voluntary assistance and backing from the federal government.
Al-Shabab, he claims, has been growing and recruiting for years and has a bigger force than has been previously acknowledged. In his estimation, al-Shabab had “not less than 20,000 fighters” at the commencement of the military onslaught last year.
“They have been preparing many warriors for 15 years,” he claimed. They possessed a great deal of authority. We believe their strength has been decimated because they have been exiled from their native areas, but we do not underestimate them.
The president of Somalia’s national security adviser, Hussein Sheikh-Ali, provided a smaller estimate for al-combat Shabab’s force. In his opinion, they number 10,000, plus or minus. “The last estimate I received a couple of years ago was 14,000, but since then I don’t think they’ve trained enough people and they’ve been in too many conflicts,” he said.
Ali asserted that he thinks the military actions cost al-Shabab “more than a thousand” militants during the previous six months, in addition to “possibly” injuring 2,000–3,000 more.
Ali is adamant that the administration does not underestimate al-Shabab.
“I have always been someone who used to advise people not to underestimate Shabab,” he stated. But now, with no help from the populace, their time is running out.
