An Islamic organization that controls much of southern Somalia, excluding the capital, Mogadishu. It has waged an insurgency against Somalia'
s transitional
government and its Ethiopian supporters since 2006. Originally the militant wing of the Islamic Courts Union, the group that controlled Somalia prior to the country'
s invasion by Ethiopian forces, al-Shabaab leaders have claimed affiliation with al-Qaeda since 2007. Though most analysts believe al-Shabaab'
s organizational links to al-Qaeda are
weak, in February 2008 the United States added the group to its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Al Shabaab'
s strength has grown since then, but many experts say the withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somalia in January 2009 could diminish the group'
s basis for
popular support. In what marked the group'
s first major attack outside of Somalia, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for twin bombings that killed more than seventy people in Kampala, Uganda (NYT) during the World Cup final on July 11, 2010.