...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(IS) is in the process of installing a "little emirate" in the East African nation of Somalia, where the rule of law is virtually non-existent and the government holds very little sway.
Islamic State jihadis are fighting over turf with Al-Shabaab
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
, the Al Qaeda-linked krazed killer Islamist group that has long been the predominant caliphatist outfit in east Africa. Al-Shabaab has even publicly threatened Islamic State converts with immediate execution, according to the Washington Post, which estimates that a few dozen people have pledged to IS despite the threats.
But another report surfacing Thursday claims 200 Al-Shabaab fighters have abandoned their group for the Islamic State. Kenya's police chief told the AP that the IS franchise is already operating on the Kenya-Somalia border and has carried out several attacks in recent weeks.
Even with the United States dedicating its own troops (and hundreds of millions of dollars) to helping train Somalia's military against Islamist insurgencies, they have made little progress to combat the threats posed by the Islamic krazed killers, largely because the government's reach into society is severely limited.
Moreover, the government has often capitulated to the demands of Al-Shabaab, which is known to target non-Muslims in its terror operations. This week, the government banned Christmas celebrations, worrying that publicly respecting the Christian holiday would lead to an Al-Shabaab attack.
Islamic State continues to grow slowly in Somalia, with Muslim holy mans becoming inspired by their successes in the Middle East and North Africa.
"Right now, [Islamic State is] the best propaganda machine going," Matt Bryden, a Somalia expert at Sahan Research, told the Washington Post. "It would give [Islamic State] entry to Kenya without lifting a finger," he warned.