Description: Al Qaeda affiliated terrorist group, Al Shabab, has conducted a coordinated attack on the city of Mahaas located in the central region of Hiraan. The group reportedly attacked military outposts through coordinated and combined efforts of suicide bombs, armed fighters and aerial support. Shortly after the initial incursions, military forces in the region rapidly withdrew not sustaining the impact from the attacks by the terrorist group. Al Shabab also inserted itself as a dominant military player in the country, exploiting armed confrontations in the four self – autonomous regions in the country. The losing of Mahaas would reportedly impact the operability of government forces in the region, as the town has served as a forward operating base for countering terrorist threats for the past ten years.
Impact: Al Shabab’s increased activities come as a result of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the country which is overwhelmingly exploited by the terrorist group to gain ground and establish operational presence within crucial strategic and tactical points such as Mahaas. Al Shabab has efficiently exploited internal political divisions between the four self – autonomous governing entities in the country to expands its operations and establish a firm footprint within crucial locations in Somalia’s oil – rich regions. The escalation of armed confrontations is expected to continue as the Mogadishu – sponsored government has announced an all-out war on the other self-governing provinces and terrorist groups within the country.