Warning from an International Body: ISIS in Somalia and Its Leader Are Becoming a Major Terrorist Threat

The International Crisis Group has reported that the Islamic State's branch in Somalia is becoming a major terrorist threat as it secures significant financial resources, and its leader is on the verge of taking over the entire group. In a report published on Thursday, September 13, the International Crisis Group warned that ISIS in Somalia is establishing connections with other ISIS branches and can now financially support terrorist operations in other African countries. Omar Mahmoud, a senior researcher at the International Crisis Group, compared ISIS to Al-Shabaab in Somalia, stating, 'Al-Shabaab is a much greater threat, but at the same time, ISIS in Somalia has carved out an important role for itself domestically and has become an active financial hub.' He referred to the U.S. airstrikes in May targeting ISIS leader Abdulkadir Muumin, which failed and allowed Muumin to survive, saying, 'If Muumin becomes the head of the Islamic State, his emergence will signify the expansion of this group's influence in Africa.' According to an analysis of location data and armed conflict events, ISIS in Somalia has been increasingly active since May, conducting several attacks against security forces and commercial centers, and has financed its fighters by expanding its activities in the port city of Bosaso and its surroundings. Richard Tuta, a counter-terrorism expert, stated that the weak central government of Somalia has turned the country into a financial center for the ISIS terrorist group. The International Crisis Group called for cooperation from the Somali government in Mogadishu to combat ISIS in Somalia and urged foreign actors to pay more attention to the activities of this group.