Al-Shabab Seizes African Union Base in Somalia

Al-Shabab is reported to have attacked an African Union military Base in a small town west of the capital of Mogadishu: “Kenya contributes more than 4,000 troops to the 22,000-strong AU force that is in Somalia helping the UN-backed government battle al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda,” reports BBC News. The African Union is a continent-wide force supported by 54 nations. Al-Shabab may be trying to compete with the Islamic State, which controls some territory in Syria and Iraq. “Al-Shabab is keen to stress – both to the foreign forces in Somalia and would-be defectors within its ranks enamoured by so-called Islamic State – that it is a force to be reckoned with.” Al-Shaba militants were pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011, but attacks on small towns, schools, restaurants, shopping areas and hotels continue in the country of almost 10 million and neighboring states. – YaleGlobal