... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...turbans are increasingly targeting those using them, leading to several unnecessary deaths within Somalia over the last few months.
Somalia's government had instructed business owners to install CCTVs as a measure to combat crime, but the al-Shabaab is against the implementation of this idea, causing a massive crackdown against innocent civilians who have complied with the directive.
For almost two months, ACLED, an organization that has been tracking the crimes, says of the 37 fatalities recorded within Mogadishu, almost 40% were linked to retaliation from al-Shabaab on people who had installed CCTVs, especially within Yaqshid and Heliwa districts.
"Al-Shabaab is sending a brutal message: cooperate with the authorities, and you become a target," said Hassan Ali, a Mogadishu-based security analyst.
According to police reports, four business owners were bumped off in late October in the Misaanka Dhuhusha areas with two civilians also killed in Sakuus. The business owners are now in limbo — they are lost whether to follow government or al-Shabaab directives.
Launched in 2023, the government's surveillance initiative aims to curb al-Shabaab's influence by exposing its extortion networks and operational movements. The group reportedly collects monthly "taxes" from businesses, funneling funds into their insurgency.
"We're caught between the government's orders and the turbans' threats," said a shop owner who requested anonymity. "Our livelihoods and lives are at stake."
Despite the antagonism by al-Shabaab turbans, the Somali security forces have made significant gains in the fight against al-Shabaab, liberating several strategic towns in the process. Most regions in central and southern Somalia are now under the Somali National Army.