Tracing the Rise and Decline of Somalia’s Islamic State
1. The Rise of the Islamic State
Before we delved into the narratives surrounding the establishment of the Islamic State in Somalia in 2015, a key player on this turbulent stage was the Somali jihadist group al-Shabaab. Imagine a landscape where al-Shabaab—deeply rooted in the northern territories—was not only a formidable entity by itself but also intricately tied to expansive smuggling networks. At a certain point, however, a chasm began to open within their ranks, leading to a fateful division. From this split emerged…