Exclusive: AFRICOM Chief says Islamic State doubles size in north Somalia

PENTAGON — 

Islamic State successful Somalia has astir doubled successful size implicit the past year, the main of U.S. Africa Command told VOA.

“I americium acrophobic astir the bluish portion of Somalia and ISIS increasing successful numbers,” AFRICOM commandant Gen. Michael Langley said successful an exclusive interview, utilizing an acronym for the panic group.

Langley declined to supply the United States’ estimation of however galore Islamic State fighters are successful Somalia, different than to accidental that the group’s had grown astir “twofold” successful the past year. Previous estimates person enactment the fig of Islamic State fighters successful northbound Somalia astatine astir 200 fighters.

The AFRICOM commandant besides warned astir the anticipation of Islamic State expanding its overseas combatant beingness successful Somalia.

Somali Brigadier General Abdi Hassan Hussein, the erstwhile quality and constabulary commandant of Puntland, wherever Islamic State is located successful the north, told VOA earlier this twelvemonth that the fig of Islamic State overseas fighters determination unsocial is estimated successful the hundreds. This fig has yet to beryllium confirmed by section authorities.

A U.S. authoritative told VOA successful June that Abdulqadir Mumin, the person of Islamic State successful Somalia, had been targeted successful an American airstrike successful May. Mumin appears to person survived the strike.

Asked whether Mumin was present the planetary person of IS, Langley said the U.S. indispensable instrumentality those reports arsenic “credible.”

“ISIS professes that. Sometimes you’ve got to instrumentality that seriously,” helium said.

Al-Shabab

The summation successful Islamic State fighters successful bluish Somalia comes arsenic the al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab has exploited diplomatic disagreements betwixt Somalia and Ethiopia to rise its recruitment numbers.

Landlocked Ethiopia and Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland portion signed a memorandum of knowing earlier this twelvemonth to usage its Red Sea larboard of Berbera, a woody that Somalia has rejected. Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre connected Friday accused Ethiopia, earlier the U.N. General Assembly, of actions that "flagrantly violate" Somalia's territorial integrity.

“The person utilized that (dispute) to their advantage,” Langley told VOA.

Al-Shabab has been backmost astatine precocious numbers of betwixt 12,000 to 13,000 fighters owed to beardown financing and dense recruitment efforts, elder defense officials told VOA successful June.

The governmental rift has bled into counter-terror practice betwixt Addis Ababa and Mogadishu, with Langley telling VOA that Somali operations with Ethiopia person been “limited.”

“Time volition archer if they tin settee their differences and coalesce into a unit that's precise effective, due to the fact that erstwhile they bash enactment together, they're very, precise effectual astatine clearing retired al-Shabab.’’

Al-Shabab has continued attacks connected civilians, including successful the Mogadishu area. The panic radical claimed work for a weapon onslaught and termination bombing that killed astatine slightest 32 radical successful August connected a fashionable formation successful the Somalia’s capital. The radical is besides suspected to person carried retired 2 deadly bombings connected Saturday, 1 successful Middle Shabelle portion and different astir 1 kilometer from the president’s office.

Al-Shabab has suffered defeats from the South West State of Somalia down to the Juba River Valley and has sought to reset and counter-attack successful those areas.

However, successful cardinal Somalia, al-Shabab has reversed gains made by Somali forces implicit the past 2 years arsenic authorities forces failed to clasp the terrain they had retaken, according to elder U.S. defence officials.

“We request a credible holding force, due to the fact that sometimes shadiness governments of al-Shabaab effort to re-insert themselves backmost successful that portion and effort to power immoderate of the section leaders,” Langley said.

He said the clip pursuing the clearing and liberating of a portion is simply a “very fragile period” wherever Somalia and partners similar the U.S. Agency for International Development tin initiate section services that volition summation the population’s religion successful the national government.

“If they can’t prolong that due to the fact that they’re moving to the adjacent portion oregon adjacent district, it ebbs,” helium said, adding that U.S. grooming was presently focused connected helping Somali forces clasp liberated terrain.

The Somali authorities has pointed to the El Dheer and Harardhere areas arsenic grounds that immoderate liberated terrain successful cardinal Somalia remains nether authorities control.

ATMIS transition

Later this year, the African Union Transition Mission successful Somalia volition permission the state aft astir 2 years of helping Somalia combat al-Shabab terrorists and volition beryllium replaced successful 2025 by a caller African Union Support and Stabilization Mission successful Somalia. Which forces volition beryllium comprised successful the ngo is inactive being worked retired by the African Union and the United Nations.

Langley ruled retired immoderate U.S. relation successful the transition, saying American forces would support lone their advise-and-assist mission.

“Our portion of enabling is not our boots connected the ground. We’re determination to counsel and assist, and assistance successful their training, but the combat is theirs,” helium told VOA.

Houthis

In summation to Islamic State and al-Shabab, Somalia besides indispensable interest astir Iranian-backed Houthi militants successful Yemen, conscionable northbound of Somalia crossed the Gulf of Aden, whom Langley says person “aspirations” to collaborate with al-Shabab.

“We're concerned, and we're intimately watching that, due to the fact that this tin crook into a atrocious vicinity existent quick,” helium said.

Should the Houthis and al-Shabab enactment unit connected the Gulf of Aden from other sides, Langley worries that squeezing this strategical choke constituent could further hinder the escaped travel of commerce and impact the planetary economy. And analysts fearfulness that Houthis could insert much blase weapons into the combat for Somalia.

Houthi militants person targeted much than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the warfare successful Gaza started successful October, seizing one, sinking 2 and sidesplitting astatine slightest 4 sailors. Other missiles and drones person either been intercepted by a U.S.-led conjugation successful the Red Sea oregon failed to scope their targets.

The Houthi militant run began aft Israel launched a retaliatory onslaught against Hamas successful Gaza pursuing Hamas' October 7 panic attack, and the Houthis assertion they are acting successful solidarity with Palestinians during the war.

Harun Maruf and Mohamed Olad Hassan contributed to this report.