Islamic State Somalia collapsing

Taqwa Media Group 

ON February 16th 2020, Islamic State fighters in Somalia released photos of their fighters training in newly renamed training camps. The camps were named after former IS leaders Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi and Abu Hassan Al Muhajiri - both killed. 

ISIS’s branch in Somalia has failed to take off from the word go. Although they have claimed several attacks in Puntland, the almost dysfunctional group had minimized attacks in Somalia due to huge rivalry with AlShabaab and invasions by security forces. 

Drastically weakened, the group has since taken retreat in Puntland’s Golis and Bari mountains to hide from endless airstrikes from the US military. 

IS-Somalia’s bid to expand territory suffered a series of impediments following their fall out with Al-Qaida’s strongest branch-        Al-Shabaab which enjoys a significant following in the horn of Africa. Al-Shabaab spokesman once labeled IS a ‘disease’ and ‘cancer’ which has to be gotten rid of. 

In 2015 propaganda by ISIS began to encourage Al-Shabaab fighters to defect causing a rift between the two sides. Since then, Al-Shabaab has been at loggerheads with the Islamic State in Somalia with the two factions often engaging in fierce battles across Somalia. Al-Qaida and IS don’t see each other eye to eye, with the former accusing the latter of being ‘too brutal.’ 

Of late, Al-Shabaab has also lost a number of fighters, top leaders and financiers who have surrendered to the authorities. There is a lot wrangles and infighting going on in the group, most of it caused by the disregard for civilian casualties in their attacks. 

IS Somalia province looks debilitated despite their latest photo shows which could only invite reprisal and renewed rivalry from Alshabaab.