The threat of al-Shabaab

Would the fall of Mogadishu resemble more the Taliban conquest of Kabul or Hay’at Tahrir al-Shams’ domination of Damascus? Al-Shabaab had seized a succession of strategic towns from the Somali National Army with little apparent difficulty.

By July, the militants had largely encircled the capital, advancing to less than 50 kilometers from Mogadishu and setting up checkpoints on its outskirts. Many foreign embassies in the city withdrew nonessential staff to neighbouring Kenya.