Category Archives: Al Shabaab

Beyond the Façade and what Operation Usalama watch exposes about the war on Terror in Kenya, by Hawa Noor

Posted on May 2, 2014 by Mats Utas

Kenya has witnessed series of terrorist attacks since the year 2011 when its soldiers began operation in Somalia dubbed: Operation Linda Nchi (Operation protect the nation). The most recent attacks, was the Likoni church attack on March 23rd 2014 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Al Shabaab, Conflict, State violence, War on Terror | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Westgate shopping mall attack and Al-Shabaab in Somalia

Posted on September 23, 2013 by Mats Utas

“The bloody Shabaab attack on Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall on September 21 was an act of desperation by a jihadi group beset by internal power struggles and plummeting support”, argues Somalia expert Ken Menkhaus in a blog post. The intent … Continue reading →

Posted in Al Shabaab, Book Reviews, Religious conflict, War on Terror | Tagged | 4 Comments

RADICALIZATION AS A MIXED RESORT: THE DISILLUSIONED EUROPEAN

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Mats Utas

In a wealthy suburb of Nairobi there is a nightclub called Casablanca. It is owned by an Italian (probably part of what is called the Malindi mob), decorated in Arabic style and has a crowd of western businessmen, aid workers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Al Shabaab, Conflict, Radicalization | Tagged , | 4 Comments

On Sporadic Radicalism

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Mats Utas

Last week I participated in the third Marrakech Security Forum which this year focused on “Issues and security consequences of transition in North Africa”. It also included several panels on the consequences for the Sahel region, as well as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Al Shabaab, Boko Haram, Radicalization, Youth | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment