described by the United States as the largest and most deadly Al-Qaeda network in the world.

Al-Shabaab has been battling for control of Somalia for over 15 years,

whilst also conducting terrorist attacks in neighbouring nations.

Despite the efforts of the Somali government, the United Nations,

African Union and foreign partners such as the United States and Turkey,

now Shabab remains a potent force. I think that Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa has

unambiguously emerged as the epicenter of the jihadist movement now. In this episode, I speak with Professor Trisha Bacon, a veteran of the US Department of State,

the counter-terrorism expert, and author of the book Terror in Transition, Leadership and Succession in Terrorist

Organizations. We discuss the present situation in Somalia, how we got here and how and if the Somali government and

international partners can finally defeat the terrorist group.

The history of Somalia over the last 20 years has been equally heartbreaking.

Al-Shabaab have said that 167 Ethiopian soldiers were killed in the attack.

Al-Shabaab continues to conduct attacks, certainly there in Somalia.

More pictures are still emerging of the shocking massacre as the al-Shabaab extremists systematically

hunted down and murdered defenseless students.

Al-Shabaab emerged as part of the so-called Islamic courts Union, which seized control of much of the country in 2006,

before fighting a protracted war with the central government and the Interventionary Forces from Ethiopia.

The group formally became affiliated with Al-Qaeda in 2012.

Tricia, obviously Somalia has been one of the places that's been a focus on the so-called

War on Terror for a long time now.

But in the last year or so, we've seen an uptick in US activity in the area with drone strikes and such things. Does that suggest that

Somalia right now is seen as a particularly volatile place where potential threats are coming from, or with countries like Mali and Burkina Faso, who

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