Al Shabaab leader Abu Ubeydah Ahmed said the ‘Brigade’ would increase attacks targeting the US and its sympathisers. Although the operations of the Martyrdom Brigade dates back to when Ahmed Abdi Godane was at the helm of the group, it was not until recently that the group has singled them out and acknowledged them after an attack. Al-Shabaab had after the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi stated that the ‘Martyrdom’ group do not flee an area of attack, saying they are always ready to die. HOME-GROWNJust last week, Al-Shabaab members believed to be the leaders of the brigade — Ramadaan Mursal, Sharmake Cumar, Nasir Ahmed and Abdullahi Kuusane — were sentenced to death in absentia. And as States craft their counterterrorism strategies to fight Al-Shabaab, the brigade continues to recruit members in northeastern region and other parts of the country.

Source: Daily Nation January 18, 2020 07:52 UTC