Nairobi (Caasimada Online) – A leading Somali Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohamud Shibli, has called for Somalis to hunt down and kill members of the Al-Shabab extremist group.
Speaking at a public square in Nairobi, Sheikh Shibli denounced the group’s attacks on Muslims in Somalia and praised ongoing efforts to combat them.
Sheikh Shibli said that the actions of Al-Shabab in Somalia are fundamentally opposed to Islam, as they indiscriminately attack and kill Muslims and Somalis in markets and hotels while claiming to be fighting infidels.
“What is happening in Somalia is the killing of Islam. Al-Shabab says that they are fighting infidels, but they are bombing markets and hotels. There are no infidels in the country, except AMISOM and those in the Halane compound who are defending themselves, and Al-Shabab cannot approach them,” said Sheikh Shibli.
He added, “The so-called infidels they are fighting, the ones they are attacking and whose blood is halal and whom they are getting close to Allah, the ones whose videos we watch being slaughtered are the ones in the Zoobe market and our hotels, Muslims and Somalis.”
The Sheikh said it is a duty to fight the “Kharijite” group because they do not deserve to be called Muslims, adding that the only solution is to kill and exterminate them.
He also said it is a crime to help Al-Shabab and cited the blood they have shed and the extortion they have carried out against the Somali people.
Sheikh Shibli’s call to action comes as fighting against Al-Shabab continues in some parts of Somalia. On Wednesday, at least 15 civilians, including women and children, were killed in a series of car bomb attacks in the central town of Mahas by the militant group.
There have been ongoing efforts by the Somali government and its allies to push back against Al-Shabab, including a revolt by local clan militias in July and the deployment of troops by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in September.
These efforts, aided by US air strikes and the African Union force known as AMISOM, have retaken large areas of territory in the central states of Galmudug and HirShabelle.
However, Al-Shabab has continued to carry out retaliatory attacks, showing its ability to strike at the heart of Somali towns and military installations.
Al-Shabab, which has pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, has been active in Somalia for over a decade and is known for its violent attacks on civilians, including bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations.
The group has been particularly active in targeting hotels and markets, such as the one in Zoobe that Sheikh Shibli mentioned in his speech.
It has also been responsible for high-profile attacks outside of Somalia, including the 2013 Westgate mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya, in which 67 people were killed.
In recent years, the group has faced increasing pressure from Somali government forces and their allies, but it remains a significant threat to the stability and security of the region.
