Over the last month, the Islamic State has conducted several assassinations inside Somalia, representing an increase in the number of attacks emanating from its fledgling East African affiliate. In four of the five claims since April 15, the assassinations took place in Mogadishu.
On April 15, the Islamic State’s news outlet, Amaq News, claimed that militants loyal to the group assassinated a member of the Somali military in the southern town of Afgooye. A little over a week later, a similar Amaq statement claimed a Somali intelligence officer was murdered in the streets of Mogadishu. Just four days later, another intelligence officer was reportedly gunned down in the Somali capital.
Last week, Amaq claimed a Somali policeman was assassinated in Mogadishu. While yesterday, another intelligence officer in Mogadishu was murdered by an Islamic State-loyal gunman.
So far in 2018, the Islamic State has conducted at least 13 attacks inside Somalia. That number is set to outpace both last year and 2016, according to data culled from Amaq News and Islamic State central releases.
It is unclear exactly how many claims made by the group are legitimate, as few are reported by local media or proven with visual evidence. Some assassination claims, however, are followed up with photo or video proof. That said, the statements still indicate the types of operations and claimed areas of operation of the organization inside Somalia.
The claims were broken down into categories of “types of operations,” “targets,” and “locations.” The Somali military and police, as well as the Puntland Security Forces, were combined into “Somali Security Forces,” while the Somali intelligence agency, NISA, remained separate. Attacks on Somali government employees or buildings were categorized under “Somali government.” Two reported locations, Jarur in Puntland, and Hawa Abdi in the Middle Shabelle, could not be geolocated and were not added to the map above.
Of the total 45 claimed operations, 14 have occurred inside Mogadishu and a further three were reported within the city’s outskirts or suburbs. At least 12 were inside Afgooye. Other attacks were reported by the group in Bosaso, Baidoa, Bay, and Qandala. Operations also reportedly took place in lesser known towns, like Jarur in Puntland or Quf Jadud in western Somalia.
The most common type of operations are targeted assassinations, with Somali intelligence officers of NISA being the primary targets. The Islamic State has claimed at least five improvised explosive device (IED) blasts in Somalia, including its first ever claim in the country on April 25, 2016. Eleven of the claims included either assaults or clashes with Somali security forces, while a further six involved hand-grenade attacks.
African Union forces were the target in only four claims, with members of the Somali security forces or intelligence officials being the primary targets of the attacks. Only one government employee, a financial officer in Afgooye, and a government office in an unspecified town in Bay, has been targeted by Islamic State-loyal militants.