Somalia

Somali terror groups could tighten Hormuz chokehold through Bab-el-Mandeb piracy, experts say

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, is already considered a significant vulnerability due to the presence of Yemen's Houthi terrorists.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship is from Lido beach in central Mogadishu, on April 25, 2025 in Mogadishu, Somalia.
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship is from Lido beach in central Mogadishu, on April 25, 2025 in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Suspected pirates hijack cargo ship off Somalia, vessel headed toward coastline with crew onboard

The UKMTO said in a statement that the incident occurred 6 nautical miles north east of Garacad, describing it as a hijack but giving no additional details.

|ByREUTERS
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar meets with Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi in first diplomatic visit to Somaliland on January 6, 2026.

Israel's Somaliland envoy sparks regional backlash from 15 Arab, Muslim states

Several Arab and Muslim states condemned Israel's decision to send a diplomatic envoy to Somaliland, while the Republic of Somaliland responded, accusing them of hypocrisy.

|ByJAMES GENN
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows activity at a street in the southern city of Baidoa, Somalia November 3, 2018.

Somali national army takes control of part of Baidoa, largest city in South West state

A shopkeeper in Baidoa, Hussein Abdullahi, said there were federal troops in his part of the city and they were in control there.

|ByREUTERS

US airstrike said to kill 13 al Shabaab militants in Somalia

"The collective self-defense airstrike was conducted in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, in support of Somali National Army forces who were engaged by" al Shabaab, AFRICOM said in a statement.

AUGUST 27, 2023ByREUTERS
A general view shows people at the scene of a suicide car explosion at a check point near Somali Parliament building in Mogadishu, Somalia June 15, 2019

Somali forces capture major al Shabaab militia stronghold

The government has promised a second phase of the offensive that will go after al Shabaab in southern Somalia, the group's traditional heartland.

AUGUST 25, 2023ByREUTERS
A Somali security officer walks past a section of Hotel Hayat, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group militant attack in Mogadishu, Somalia August 20, 2022.

Suicide bomber kills at least 30 soldiers in Somali capital

The bombing on Monday targeted the Jale Siyaad military academy.

JULY 24, 2023ByREUTERS
Somali security officers are seen at a section of Hotel Hayat, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group militant attack in Mogadishu, Somalia August 20, 2022.

Al Shabaab claims responsibility for attack on restaurant in Somali capital

In November, the group, which controls swathes of the country, attacked another hotel in Mogadishu, killing nine people.

JUNE 9, 2023ByREUTERS
PREVIEW Police officers stand guard near Hayat Hotel, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group militant attack, in Mogadishu, Somalia August 21, 2022

Unidentified attackers storm restaurant in Somali capital

The attack on the popular upmarket Pearl Restaurant, on the capital's Lido Beach, happened early on Friday evening.

JUNE 9, 2023ByREUTERS
A view shows smoke rising following a car bomb explosion at Somalia's education ministry in Mogadishu, Somalia October 29, 2022 in this picture obtained from social media

Somali lawmaker to TML: Gov't making gains in battling al-Shabab

Secretary of the Somali Defense Committee Ahmed Abdi Koshin says military offensive has 'successfully dislodged' the al-Qaeda-linked terror organization from many parts of the country.

FEBRUARY 26, 2023ByDEBBIE MOHNBLATT/THE MEDIA LINE
A Somali security officer walks at the entrance of Hotel Hayat, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group militant attack in Mogadishu, Somalia August 20, 2022

Islamic State leader killed in US military operation in Somalia

The operation was approved by US President Joe Biden earlier this week and carried out within the past 24 hours.

JANUARY 26, 2023ByREUTERS
AN ISIS fighter uses his phone to lm a military parade in Syria’s northern Raqqa province in 2014

Al Shabaab kills seven soldiers in attack on military base

The assailants rammed the military base in the village of Hawadley with a suicide car bomb and then opened fire.

JANUARY 17, 2023ByREUTERS
Suspected al-Shabaab militants in Mogadishu during a joint operation between Somali forces and AMISOM, May 2014.

Can Somalia finally defeat Al-Shabab extremists? - analysis

Al-Shabab is a vicious organization that has worked with Al-Qaeda and other extremist groups and is often behind horrid terror attacks in Somalia.

JANUARY 17, 2023BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Somali security officer walks at the entrance of Hotel Hayat, the scene of an al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group militant attack in Mogadishu, Somalia August 20, 2022

14 Iranian fishermen released by al-Shabaab following prolonged talks

Al-Arabiyya speculated based on earlier reports that they may have been abducted by pirates and then given to al-Shabaab.

DECEMBER 26, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Suspected al-Shabaab militants in Mogadishu during a joint operation between Somali forces and AMISOM, May 2014.