Al Shabaab Basics 16 Frederick Kagan and Chris Harnisch, March 10, 2010 Contact CTP Manager: charlie.szrom@aei.org The group began operating as an independent entity in early 2007 (before that, it served as the military wing of the Islamic Courts Union) It controls much of southern and central Somalia and operates shadow governments called Islamic Provinces Most estimates of al Shabaab's man power range from 2,000 to 5,000 The group includes between 800 and 1,100 foreign fighters, including dozens from the US and Europe The US, UK, Canada, and Australia have all designated al Shabaab as a terrorist group Eritrea is al Shabaab's leading state-sponsor The group has proven adept at following through on threats The group has threatened to attack the United States
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