Essay Example on Terrorism: Destroying Lives and Causing Injury for Change

Terrorism is an activity that has existed for years and still continues to torture human right by all means. In the line of history, many lives have been lost while some are left with injury upon the attacks. Many of the terrorist groups tend to develop out of political difference, socio-cultural differences as well as religious differences. As a result, there is persistent terrorism across the world in demand for change that at times tend to favour one of the paper or rather the opposition group. Generally, the terrorist group have several things in common, that's is they act upon achieving economic, political and regional power. However, different states have the mandate to fight them hence creating a continuous process of the terror. Al-Shabaab is one of the active terrorist group in East Africa. It mainly based on the Somalia territory. Al-Shabaab has attacked several countries that include Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. For that reason, the paper will focus on elaborating the foundation of the Al-Shabaab as well as its operation towards the terrorism within East African Countries.

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Al-Shabaab is a deviant group of militant youth that separated themselves from the Islamic Courts Union. The terrorist group emerged in 2006 based on the political difference. Its main aim was to propagate new leadership in Somali and bring rules under their overthrown government. The group, therefore, created tension to the Somali government, ensuring that they had caused significant deaths around Mogadishu city. Despite the group becoming popular in 2006, it had been founded in 2004 allowing both unmarried female and male in the group (Anderson & McKnight, 2015). Besides, the group allows to different persons from other nations to register with them hence creating large networks terror attacks. For example, various Kenyans have acquired membership in the group; thus they operate under it by abiding their laws and norms in causing assaults in the surrounding states.

It through the attack against the federal government that the Al-Shabaab demanded the change in leadership as well as a revolution in accordance with their perceptions. However, the fight between them and president Sharif Ahmed began. The fight was more vigorous in 2009 weakening the Somali government (Hansen, 2013). The state was declared a national disaster, and therefore the United Nations had the mandate to intrude on the matter. During the attack, they ended up killing prominent ministers of Somali and also presided that with a bomb that led to massive death in medical school graduation ceremony.

Al-Shabaab, Also generally, had strategies to initiate and propagate the war against the federal government. For instance, the group were opportunistic on the drought that had raided on Somalis in the year 2011. At that period, the united nation had come in to assist the Somalis to manage the drought. It, therefore, had to send some of its aid to the country (Botha & Abdile, 2014). The aid workers thus had a hard time to mingle and offer their assistance to Somalis since the group had turned against them. They controlled the maritime territories and also the incoming aids. For that reason, it was hard for the federal government to offer humanity support to its citizens; neither did the United Nations was. The Al-Shabaab ensured that they controlled the economic activities that were taking place in Somali. The state government had tough times competing with the ruthless group, and therefore they had to seek for some help from the foreign countries.

The group has persistently recruited new members in K-50 airstrip, and through different shows and propagandas, they have managed to cause fear across the Somali. Radio presentation and social media, specifically, the internet has been one of the media that they use to expose their filth as well as the attack they cause. Twitter, among other social media platforms, is one of the significant channel used to pass the communication to the world.

In 2012, the Kenyan military was mandated by the United Nations to intervene for continued attacks by Al-Shabaab. It had cleared most of its cities and taking control over them. The massive destruction and attacks were, therefore extended to neighbouring countries. The Christian religion people were severely punished and killed (Botha & Abdile, 2014). The Al-Shabaab argued that most of them were informers and intelligent agents that had been sent to investigate their moves. For that reason, all Christians and foreigners had to be captured to reduce leakage of their information and about (Wise, 2011). However, after the intrusion of Kenya operation Linda Nchi, the terrorist attacks have significantly reduced. Through Kenyan army, Al-Shabaab training and terror attacks have decreased, leading to stability of the Somalia federal government.

Despite all efforts to end the terrorism in Somalia, Al-Shabaab still continues to propagate the attack within the adjust areas of Kenya as well as Ethiopia. For instance, in 2017, about 500 persons were killed, and more than 1000 casualty were affected in Mogadishu through an explosion of a twin bomb attack by Al-Shabaab (Oxford Analytical). Similarly, they have always attacked military forces around Garrisa and Wajir through use of landmines. They are determined to ensure that the Kenyan Government withdraw their army in the fight against them and thus, they persistently causes threats and attack. Hence they ended up attacking Peketoni where they cleared the villages within the area. They also struck one of the prominent, highly ranked hotel in Nairobi in early 2019.

In conclusion, in Lamu County, Al-Shabaab has perpetually caused threats, and more so they sent their insurgent who ended up killing three passengers and later on three teachers were allegedly killed by al-Shabaab. Efforts to end the terror group are still in manipulation, and the Kenyan army is determined to fight Al-Shabaab. However, the Al-Shabaab to keep advancing and joining other Islamic terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram to ensure that they struggle to the end. Besides, Al-Shabaab face had time as the US have taken all aspect to finance the fight against it. For that reason, its forces and attacks weaken day by day.

References

Anderson, D. M., & McKnight, J. (2015). Kenya at war: Al-Shabaab and its enemies in Eastern Africa. African Affairs, 114(454), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1093/afraf/adu082

Botha, A., & Abdile, M. (2014). Radicalisation and al-Shabaab recruitment in Somalia. Institute for Security Studies Papers, 2014(266), 20. Retrieved from https://journals.co.za/content/ispaper/2014/266/EJC159120 Hansen, S. J. (2013). Al-Shabaab in Somalia. London: Chatham House. Retrieved October 2, 2015.

Oxford Analytical. Somalia's al-Shabaab poses a heightened regional threat. Emerald Expert Briefings, (oxan-db).

Wise, R. (2011). al Shabaab. Center for Strategic and International Studies.