“One more thing we deeply share is the hatred of infidels,” the commander, Abu Dayib, told The Associated Press.
Some experts say the similarities are no accident.
“Al-Shabab is copying exactly whatever the Taliban was doing in the late 1990s, because they think the strategies the Taliban employed in Afghanistan were successful,” said Vahid Mujdeh, the Afghan author of a book on the Taliban. “There is no doubt that the Taliban are like heroes for al-Shabab.”
U.S. and other security officials worry about another common thread: Both the Taliban and al-Shabab have links to al-Qaida.
*****
In the past, I have highlighted successful strategies that were built upon mimicking either the enemy or whomever is the best. Not only that, but to also add one little thing to that strategy to give you the edge when fighting an opponent that is also using that same model. That little thing could be the repeating firearm, the machine gun, or the UAV. That little thing might also be an operational method, like pseudo-operations. Or it could be the Letter of Marque and the creation of an industry that profits from the destruction of an enemy? There are all sorts of potential ‘little things’ out there, and it requires a creative mind to ‘build that snowmobile’ and develop that winning strategy.
Which takes us back to Somalia. I am still having a difficult time trying to figure out how the TFG government and the AU expects to defeat Al Shabab with their current strategy? I am also scratching my head as to how the west plans on defeating Al Shabab with the current arrangement in Somalia? If we are having a tough time battling the Taliban in Afghanistan with the world’s best militaries, then what hope does the TFG and AU have in their fight?
The other thing that stood out to me, was the use of suicide assaulters again. These guys wore police uniforms, swarmed the hotel, and fought their way into areas of human concentration. Today’s defenses throughout the world, must answer the question of wether or not they can stop a swarm of suicide assaulters. This is obviously a model of attack that is being copied throughout the jihadist world, and it will only go away when it is turned into a zero sum game. Meaning, defenses are strong enough to continually defeat this kind of attack. As it stands now, this attack will probably do very well in poor countries, or countries that do not prepare for this kind of attack because of whatever reason.
My final thought about this matter is how jihadists use their market of force. Al Qaeda and others use their market of force to greater advantage than the west, and I will explain. We take retired SEALs or Green Beret’s, and give them static security/convoy/PSD jobs in this war, and we freak out if these men actually had to fire their weapons in defense of self or their client. With Al Qaeda/Taliban/Al Shabab, they will not only hire jihadist contractors to participate in the war, but also contract them to kill the infidels and conduct offensive operations. They are doing it all, from providing bounties in Pakistan for killing soldiers, to paying snipers to kill soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq, to providing protective services for drug operations or for piracy operations.
Probably the most prolific use of contractors for offensive jihadist operations, is the whole IED game. They contract out the hole being dug, the bomb being constructed, the bomb being planted, and the guy that pulls the trigger on the device. Hell, for the sniping or bomb stuff, the jihadist contracting officer requires filming the kill in order to receive payment. That is what our enemy does with their market of force, and to me they are far more advanced in contracting private force for the task of killing their enemies than the west.
If you look at the west and how we are using our market of force, it is literally non-existent. We have not seen a company or individual contracted to kill or even capture an enemy combatant. Companies are not contracted to take down terrorist cells or take towns and cities. Individuals are not hired to hunt jihadists or do anything of harm to our enemies. Instead, we see retired special operations soldiers who were expert in tracking and killing enemy combatants in their military jobs, just sit at civilian guard posts, driving vehicles in convoys or protecting dignitaries. That stuff is important to do, but we have created an industry that does not at all take full advantage of our market of force.
We also pay these folks an incredible amount of money for doing these basic ‘defensive’ tasks. God forbid if that individual actually fired their weapon though. The possibility of that retired SF operator being sent home or fired would be high and if they accidently killed a civilian in the process of defending self or the client, they could face criminal charges. Al Qaeda and company kill and terrorize civilians with their market of force all the time, and it is just the price of doing business to them. I am not saying the we should use our market of force and not care about civilian deaths, but I do think our enemy is far more realistic about what really happens in war. They are out there and fighting us based on a no holds barred mindset (no respect for law or borders), and their market of force is considered a serious element of their strategy. I have yet to hear about a jihadist commission on wartime contracting either? lol
The west hasn’t a clue on how to use their market of force, nor are they getting a good return on investment for the force they are using. I have certainly pointed to examples of how we could use our market of force to a greater and more strategic extent, but I also realize that I am up against the ego of states and their dedication to the monopoly of force.
Let’s flip this around and mix the players. If Al Qaeda could contract the services of Xe, what do you think they would ask of Xe? What do you think they would be ‘ok with’, or what would be politically correct for Al Qaeda? I think we all know that AQ would probably ask a company like that to take on their most complex operations that require a disciplined force with skill and capability. The only limitations to the contracts would be AQ’s money, and what Xe was willing to do for that money.(in this hypothetical, they would have no loyalties to or be controlled by any state)
One example of how markets of force behave when both sides have no qualms about it’s use, is the drug cartels in Mexico. All the cartels of the drug war are all copying each other, and all of them are tapping into markets of force to do all sorts of nasty things to one another. It is producing some extreme violence and methods of warfare that we can certainly learn from. With this scenario, the Mexican government cannot even compete, and if anything, the drug cartels fear one another more than they fear the government. (as a side note, the Mexican government is not even using their market of force) It is just one example.
The pirates of Somalia are another industry that fully exploits this market of force, and they get a really good return on investment with this force. The world’s best and most powerful navies have not been able to defeat this latest wave of piracy coming out of Somalia, and it is probably one of the most embarrassing things to witness as an observer of this whole deal. Guys armed with AK’s, buzzing around in motor boats, taking down mulit-million dollar vessels, and evading multi-billion dollar navies at the same time. This market of force is very enthused by the ‘incentive’ of this industry, and the pool of this force is only increasing because of this piracy model’s success ratio.
So to finish this post, I guess all I have to say is that today’s enemies have developed a model of warfare that is a direct challenge to countries and their state sponsored armies. These enemies could care less about borders, laws, or political correctness and truly only care about winning by any means necessary. In Somalia, we are witnessing Al Shabab use this latest model of jihadist warfare which has achieved much for the Taliban in Afghanistan. This model has many elements to it which makes it successful. One of the key elements that is ignored by all who study this war, is the enemy’s use of their market of force for the destruction of their enemies. I think they are better at it, and they get more of a return on investment with their market of force than the west ever will. Stuff to think about. –Matt
Islamist rebels attack Somali hotel, killing 32
Somalia rebels looking increasingly like Taliban
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Islamist rebels attack Somali hotel, killing 32
By MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN and MALKHADIR M. MUHUMED
August 25, 2010
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamist militants wearing Somali military uniforms stormed a hotel favored by lawmakers in the war-battered capital Tuesday, firing indiscriminately and killing 32 people, including six parliamentarians.
A suicide bomber and one of the gunmen were also killed in the brazen attack just a half-mile (1 kilometer) from the presidential palace. The attack showed the insurgent group al-Shabab, which controls wide areas of Somalia, can penetrate even the few blocks of the capital under the control of the government and African Union troops.
Tuesday’s well-planned assault came one day after al-Shabab warned of a new “massive war.” Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, an insurgent spokesman, said the attack by members of the group’s “special forces” targeted government leaders, foreign agents and “apostates” at the $10-a-night Muna Hotel.
Survivors of the hour-long slaughter described seeing bodies strewn throughout the hotel and people scrambling to safety through windows. An 11-year-old shoeshine boy and a woman selling tea were among the dead.
In an interview with The Associated Press, one parliamentarian said she was jolted awake by the popping sound of gunfire. Saynab Qayad said three fellow lawmakers staying on the top floor of the three-story hotel drew their guns while other guests fled out windows.
“Smoke filled my room after bullets smashed my window. I hid myself in a corner of the room. Then a guest next door came to my door, screaming ‘Come out! Come out!’ And when I came out bullets continued to fly around.
“I went back to my room and locked my door. Shortly afterward, the hotel staff asked me to come down and put me in a room at the second floor with four other survivors,” she said. “The body of a member of parliament was lying at that small room’s door.”
A manager at the Muna Hotel, Abdullahi Warsame, said the attack was carried out by two gunmen who first fired on people sitting under a tree, then opened fire at the reception desk. The gunmen then moved to the second floor, where they battled security forces and armed parliamentarians, he said. The two fought until they ran out of ammunition, when one blew himself up, Warsame said.
After it was over, Somali government forces tied the body of one of the dead assailants to the back of a pickup truck and dragged it through the dusty streets of the capital, a scene eerily reminiscent of how bodies of dead American soldiers were treated following the disastrous Black Hawk Down battle of 1993 in Mogadishu.
Tuesday’s attack only extended the stream of warfare that rattled Mogadishu on Monday, when 40 civilians died in fighting between al-Shabab and Somali and African Union troops.
Somalia’s deputy prime minister told AP that 19 civilians, six members of parliament, five security forces and two hotel workers were killed Tuesday — a total of 32. Two attackers also were killed, said Abdirahman Haji Aden Ibi, the deputy prime minister. A government statement said 31 people were killed. There was no way to immediately reconcile the figures.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the attack during Ramadan highlighted al-Shabab’s “complete disregard for human life, Somali culture and Islamic values.”
Al-Shabab, which has links to al-Qaida and boasts veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars among its ranks, has grown deadlier in recent months. Last month it claimed twin bombings in Uganda during the World Cup final that killed 76 people.
“The only intention of this group is to destroy the nation, massacre people and then finally hand the country to ruthless foreigners,” Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed said. “So I call upon all Somali people to unite fighting against these enemies and help government forces.”
The militant group is fighting to oust the 6,000 African Union troops from Uganda and Burundi that prop up the U.N.-backed Somali government — forces whom al-Shabab calls crusaders and invaders.
“We will eliminate them from our country in a battle we call ‘the end of the aggressors,'” Rage said. “They wanted to enjoy themselves in hotels while women and children are sent to makeshift homes.”
Al-Shabab calls itself a defender of the nation, but its interpretation of Islam is harsh. Al-Shabab forbids music, TV or letting women walk alone. Men must grow beards. Punishments can range from amputation to death by stoning.
In response to the World Cup attacks, the African Union pledged to increase its troop commitments to Somalia, an approach backed by the United States. The U.S. does not have any troops in Somalia but helps pay to train Somali troops and sends surveillance aircraft over Somalia.
“The United States reaffirms its strong commitment to stand with the Somali people and transitional government and the African Union mission in Somalia as they courageously work to restore peace and stability in Somalia. And we’re very grateful for the fact that this week we have additional resources arriving in support of the (African Union) mission troops coming from Uganda,” Crowley said.
The Somali government has struggled for years to gain relevancy, but corruption and its minuscule footprint in the country — just a few city blocks near the seaside airport — have limited its effectiveness. The deaths of six parliamentarians will have no practical effect on the government functions.
Al-Shabab operatives frequently infiltrate the small government-controlled area.
In a similar attack in December, a suicide bomber detonated himself at a university graduation ceremony about 1 1/2 miles (3 kilometers ) from Tuesday’s hotel attack, killing 24 people, including three government ministers, medical students and doctors.
Somalia has not had an effective government for 19 years.
Story here.
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Somalia rebels looking increasingly like Taliban
By JASON STRAZIUSO and MOHAMED OLAD HASSAN
August 22, 2010
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Men are forced to grow beards. Women can’t leave home without a male relative. Music, movies and watching sports on TV are banned. Limbs are chopped off as punishment, and executions by stoning have become a public spectacle.
Somalia is looking more and more like Afghanistan under the Taliban — two rugged countries 2,000 miles apart, each lacking a central government, each with a hard-line Islamist militia that cows the public into submission.
Al-Shabab in Somalia and the Taliban in Afghanistan — their tactics increasingly mirror each other. Those tactics worked for the Taliban until the U.S. invasion overthrew it in 2001, and now they are making a comeback. Meanwhile, al-Shabab has gained control over large swaths of this arid Horn of Africa country.
In the latest adoption of tactics long used by the Afghan militants, al-Shabab is ordering households in southern Somalia to contribute a boy to the militants’ ranks. Childless families have to pay al-Shabab $50 a month. That’s Somalia’s per capita income.
An al-Shabab commander attributed the shared tactics and ideology to the fact that both groups follow a strict form of Islam.
“One more thing we deeply share is the hatred of infidels,” the commander, Abu Dayib, told The Associated Press.
Some experts say the similarities are no accident.
“Al-Shabab is copying exactly whatever the Taliban was doing in the late 1990s, because they think the strategies the Taliban employed in Afghanistan were successful,” said Vahid Mujdeh, the Afghan author of a book on the Taliban. “There is no doubt that the Taliban are like heroes for al-Shabab.”
U.S. and other security officials worry about another common thread: Both the Taliban and al-Shabab have links to al-Qaida.
Until their overthrow, the Taliban gave Osama bin Laden and his group safe haven in Afghanistan. Many analysts believe al-Shabab is now controlled by al-Qaida-linked foreign fighters who honed their skills in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Last month Al-Shabab claimed its first international attack_ twin bombings in Uganda that killed 76 people watching the World Cup final on TV. Uganda said at least one of the confessed participants belonged to al-Qaida. Simultaneous attacks are an al-Qaida hallmark.
Both the Taliban and Al-Shabab moved into a power vacuum left by inconclusive civil war, and were initially welcomed by publics desperate for some form of law and order. What they got was an extremely harsh penal code.
Now the Taliban is gaining ground despite NATO forces’ efforts to push them back, and brazenly advertised its clout this month by stoning a young couple stoned to death in front of a crowd, allegedly for committing adultery.
In Somalia, two months ago, Al-Shabab accused Ahmed Ali Shuke, a 27-year-old laborer, of being a government spy and slashed his tongue.
“Both groups derive support from followers of their strict interpretations of Shariah (Muslim law). Both groups also derive support by terrorizing the population,” said Letta Tayler, a counterterrorism specialist at Human Rights Watch. “The people of Somalia, as in Afghanistan, have learned the hard way that if they speak out against these groups’ practices, they will get killed.”
Both the Taliban and al-Shabab win some sympathy by positioning themselves as defenders against invading infidels. Foreign forces — African Union troops in Somalia, U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan — feed into that narrative when they kill civilians during raids, Tayler said.
“Even many Somalis who don’t like the Shabab’s ideology are immensely thankful for the drop in crime in many areas under the group’s control. Their daughters are not raped. Their crops are not stolen en route to market,” she said.
But Human Rights Watch said in an April report that the stability was achieved by “unrelenting repression and brutality.”
Several women told Human Rights Watch that they had been flogged or jailed for selling tea to support their families because the work brought them into contact with men.
Somalia has had no functioning government since 1991, and militants with guns have been filling the void ever since. Al-Shabab, which the U.S. branded a terror group in 2008, is believed to have several thousand members.
Hundreds of its fighters have died in battle, forcing al-Shabab to increase recruiting among young men and boys, said Ali Mohammed, a retired Somali colonel.
They are “losing the hearts and minds of the ordinary people,” he said.
In turn, families in militant-controlled areas of Somalia who can afford it to send their sons away, several parents told the AP.
“I have lost one of my sons in a battle he was forced to join in central Somalia three months ago. He was only 15,” said Asha Mohamed Amin, who lives in a rebel-controlled area of Mogadishu, the capital. “Again they say contribute the other (son) to a senseless death. Is that acceptable?”
Amin said she sent her other son to Hargeisa in northern Somalia to live with friends.
A 26-year-old woman named Ubah felt al-Shabab’s brutality firsthand.
She was visiting a moneychanger in the southern town of Kismayo with a male cousin when two young militants accused them of engaging in an illicit relationship after they couldn’t show proof they were related. Hours later the militants whipped Ubah and her cousin — 80 lashes for the man and 50 for Ubah.
“I was crying and I thought they would never release me,” Ubah told AP, asking that her last name not be used for fear of militant reprisals. “I couldn’t move because there were men with guns.”
She said the militants warned that if the two were seen together again they would be stoned to death.
Story here.