Following al-Shabaab’s alleged attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, here is a list of ICSR’s recent research and analysis on the group.
Lights, Camera, Jihad: Al-Shabaab’s Western Media Strategy by Shiraz Maher, Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, and James Sheehan. This report provides an authoritative analysis of how al-Shabaab is reaching out to young Western Muslims using high quality videos, Twitter, and carefully crafted messages that resonate with their intended audience.
Jihad Comes to Kenya by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens. In this Foreign Affairs article, Hitchens charts the growth of al-Shabaab’s reach into Kenya, explaining how the group uses financial incentives and extremist ideology to radicalise potential recruits through religious institutions.
Al-Shabaab: Recruitment and Radicalisation in Kenya by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens. This ICSR Insight provides an overview of al-Shabaab’s strategy in Kenya, its recruitment efforts, and the reasons why some Kenyans and Kenyan Somalis join the group.