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Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...are becoming increasingly emboldened following the systematic withdrawal of Æthiopian troops, a development that is threatening to reverse the recent gains in the war against terror.
The Al-Shabaab have not only retaken nine towns in the central region along the border with Æthiopia, but have also threatened to disrupt the presidential election scheduled for November 30.
In the wake of the ongoing domestic political uprising in Æthiopia over the past one month, Addis has been withdrawing troops that are not part of the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Mission in Somalia (Amisom), but who have been instrumental in containing Al-Shabaab in the central region.
Amisom spokesperson Col Joseph Kibet, told The EastAfrican that the Æthiopian withdrawal is leaving a vacuum that is encouraging the re-emergence of Al-Shabaab in areas where they were previously contained.
He said that locals who were previously lying low are emerging to identify themselves as Al-Shabaab and hoisting their flags because a lot of the elements in the Lion of Islam group are locals.