Al-Qaeda-linked African terrorist outfit Al-Shabaab made headlines across the world on Friday, August 19, when it attacked a hotel in the Somalian capital Mogadishu. The attack on the hotel resulted in at least 10 deaths while many people were injured, and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The Islamic extremist group has continued its attacks for the major parts of the previous decade. However, Friday’s attack in Mogadishu was its first major attack since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud assumed office in May 2022.

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The terrorist group, which was estimated to have between 4000-6000 members in 2014, has increased its militants to as many as 12000 in 2022. The terror group is focusing on toppling the Somalian government and has conducted multiple attacks in the recent past. Let’s take a look at some of them.

10 dead in attack on Aato

The terrorist outfit attacked the town of Aato in the Bakol region of Somalia in late July 2022, leaving 10 dead and at least 20 injured. The attack raised tension between Somalia and Ethiopia as the town sits on the border of the two countries.

Several members of the Somali parliament were visiting the town when the attack took place.

Bomb blast that killed Somali regional minister

On the same day when Al-Shabaab attacked Aato, a bomb blast by the Islamic extremist group killed Somalia’s southwestern regional state Minister of Justice Sheikh Hassan Ibrahim in Baidoa, which is about 250 kilometres from Mogadishu.

The blast killed two, including the minister and injured eight more. The killed minister’s second son was also among the injured in the attack.

170 African Union Force soldiers killed by Al-Shabbab in deadly attack

As many as 170 African Union (AU) soldiers were killed by the terror outfit in early May 2022 in Somalia’s Middle Shabelle region. They also captured several prisoners of war. According to reports, the majority of the soldiers were from Burundi.

According to eyewitnesses, heavily armed Al-Shabaab militants stormed the Al-Baraf base, which is around 160 kilometres from Somalia’s capital Mogadishu. Following the attack, the African Union and the Somalian government condemned the attack, which was the biggest attack on AU forces in years.

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Five killed in Al-Shabaab’s police station attack

At least five people were killed and 16 others were injured in the aftermath of a deadly attack by Al-Shabaab on February 16 in Mogadishu, Somalia.

The attack took place in a police station in the Kahda area of Mogadishu, where a car bomb was detonated before a subsequent firefight took place.

Family of seven, including four children, killed by Al-Shabaab

The terrorist outfit killed seven members of a family, including four children, in a Somalian remote village in the Wajid district in late November 2020. According to the authorities, the family was targeted and killed because the father of the children was a federal soldier.