A Somali terrorist group, al Shabaab, claimed responsibility for bombings in the city of Kampala in Uganda, which killed 76 people. This is the first time that this group has moved beyond Somalia. Their goal had been to impose radical Islamist ideas inside of that country, but they are now moving into other areas of Africa. This group has known ties to Osama bin Laden. In 2008, its leaders publicly pledged their loyalty to bin Laden and the next year al Qaeda formally accepted them into their group. It is not known how many members al Shabaab has, but it may be as many as 10,000. There are ties to the US as well. Two years ago, a group of Somali Americans left Minnesota to become members. In June 2010, two men were arrested at JFK, when they were attempting to go to Somalia to join this group. And, one of their top leaders is from Alabama.
The US needs to continue to be vigilant in tracking the terrorist threat throughout the world. Groups like al Qaeda work to bring their influence to even the poorest countries in the world. This is a reminder to America, that we must not only be watching out for currently know enemies in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and we need to consider where they may find future allies who sympathize with their radical views.
Johnson, Keith. “In Attack, al Qaeda-Linked Somali Group Expands Reach.” The Wall Street Journal. 13 July 2010.
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