The concept of the caliphate is at the core of the Islamic State’s appeal. Western analysts are too busy constructing fantasies about how the Islamic State has nothing to do with Islam to take much notice, but if Al Shabaab does pledge allegiance to the Islamic State, it will have groups in West Africa (Boko Haram), North Africa (Libya) and East Africa, as well as in the Philippines and elsewhere. And nothing significant is being done to stop its growth.
“Somalia terror group Al Shabaab ‘to pledge allegiance to ISIS’ in terrifying expansion of Caliphate,” by Mohamed Odowa, Mailonline, July 10, 2015:
Somali terror group Al-Shabaab could soon scrap its allegiance to Al-Qaeda and pledge loyalty to rivals ISIS instead, MailOnline has learned.
Islamic State invited the east-African jihadi group to join forces with them through a propaganda video released in March – urging it to wage jihad on neighbouring Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Now Al-Shabaab members and sources within the Somali army suggest the invitation will be accepted and the group – which commands around 9,000 fighters – will soon extend ISIS’s self-proclaimed caliphate to east-Africa.
The decision comes at a time when many of Al-Shabaab’s local and foreign leaders are being killed by commando raids and drone strikes, the group is rapidly losing territory and its money is running out as a result.
Al-Shabaab’s senior figures held a secret meeting in the Middle Juba region – just over 200 miles away from the capital of Mogadishu – earlier this week, one of its commanders told MailOnline.
He said: ‘It is still an ongoing process to reach a final decision in the next weeks and months… We [the leaders] are now on same boat.
‘I do not want to comment about why [Al-Shabaab] is willing to leave and cut ties with al-Qaeda and its leader Ayman al-Zawihiri.’
‘Islamic State captured Muslim’s attention globally and regionally in terms of leading global Jihad.
‘We share many things with ISIS ideologically and we are ready to help our Muslim brothers and sisters around the globe under a united leadership with one agenda and ideology.
Its leader Abu Ubaidah and his deputy Mahad Karate both agreed to join the rapidly-expanding Islamic State at the meeting – and urged their fanatical followers to ditch al-Qaeda too, Garowe Online reported….