SUMMARY
Al-Shabaab has targeted civilians both inside and outside Somalia. The attacks committed by al-Shabaab inside Somalia mostly took place shortly after the ARS/UIC (Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia/Union of Islamic Courts) were ousted by Ethiopian troops, cooperating with the internationally recognized unity Government of Somalia, the TFG (Transitional Federal Government). As a result of ARS/UIC decreasing influence, al-Shabaab, which was the youth group of ARS/UIC, started attacks on mainly foreigners in Somalia. The violence against foreigners inside Somalia is in that sense fairly linked, in reason, to the devastating attacks of 11 July 2010 in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Those attacks were claimed to be revenge attacks on Uganda, who have been sending troops to the AU (African Union) peacekeeping mission AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) in Somalia. There has also been one other type of violence against civilians linked to al-Shabaab, manifested in attempts to uphold strict interpretations of Sharia laws in areas where they are in control.
The three different types of violence against civilians in this dyad has manifested in some different ways. First of all there have been a number of domestic bomb and suicide bomb attacks, including attacks on Ethiopian people in the semi-autonomous Somali state of Puntland. Another type of violence is the internationalized, manifested by the 11 July 2010 suicide bombings in Kampala. Besides these attacks there are numerous reports of Al-Shabaab members patrolling the streets of cities where they are in control, enforcing a strict interpretation of Sharia law which sometimes has resulted in the killing of civilians. These actions, against what they consider to be mischievous behavior, have stretched as far as attacks on schools teaching in the English language.
Al-Shabaab has continued to carry out attacks outside of Somalia, most notably the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya's capital Nairobi in September 2013 and the Garissa University College attack, also in Kenya, in April 2015. The regionalization of Al-Shabaab's operations reflects the increased activity by the AMISOM troops stationed in Somalia. In 2012 and throughout 2013, al-Shabaab was put under increased pressure from the Somali government, with significant support from AMISOM troops. This somewhat diminished Al-Shabaab's power in Somalia and forced them to change tactics, transforming into a guerrilla-style organization rather than a large powerful actor conquering and holding large pieces of land. This shift led to an increase of one-sided attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab.
Al-Shabaab first became active as a one-sided actor in UCDP data in 2008, when the one-sided violence resulted in over 25 civilian deaths. The threshold was reached on 13 April that year when the group killed 4 civilians at a private school in Beled Weyne town.
