
A Story with Few Words: The Unveiling of Ahmed Godane
An analysis of the former Al Shabaab leader
Interesting article analyzing Kebabs new biography of their founder, Godane, (may allah curse him).
“From what I have seen, Shabaab is the AQ branch with which IS supporters have the most (relative) affinity, in no small part due to Shabaab’s unmitigated brutality (such as killing an enormous ~500 civilians in a single strike).1This is rooted in their brand of Salafi Jihadism, which is very close, if not identical, to IS’s ideology. Indeed, many (such as this writer) have wondered why Shabaab remains so fanatically devoted to AQ when it has far more in common with IS. I have found no compelling answer, but all agree that the man most responsible for Shabaab’s adoption of this ideology–and thus their present character as the most extreme AQ branch–is Ahmed Abdi Godane, the organization’s second leader after Aden Hashi Farah Ayro, the founder.”
very good analysis except the author seems to gas up the ICU and Ayro who weren’t saints.