Table of Contents

Part 1: Origins and Rise
1. Jihad Arrives in Somalia
2. The CIA, Warlords, and Ethiopia
3. "The Real Jihad Has Just Started"
4. Godane
5. American Al-Shabaab
6. Radical Organization

Part 2: The Battle for Mogadishu
7. "TFG IN GRAVE JEOPARDY"
8. "We Want Anyone"
9. Zenith and Stalemate
10. The Ramadan Offensive
11. Withdrawal

Part 3: On the Run
12. Divisions and Purge
13. The Road to Westgate
14. No Place to Hide

Part 4: Resurgence
15. Arresting the Decline
16. The ISIS Incursion
17. The Future of al-Shabab

About the Author

Harun Maruf is Senior Editor in Voice of Americas Somali Service who has been covering Somalia and its struggles with war, terrorism, piracy, and drought since the early 1990s. With more than 100,000 followers, Maruf is the most followed Somali journalist on Twitter and a primary source of news to many people in the Horn of Africa. Prior to joining VOA, Maruf worked as a reporter for the BBC and Associated Press in Somalia and as a researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Dan Joseph is an editor in Voice of America's central newsroom and has headed up its Africa desk since December 2005.

Reviews

For military enthusiasts, Inside al-Shabaab has vivid descriptions of street-by-street fighting in Mogadishu as the extremists pushed the fragile Somali government to the edge of the sea. For those wondering how Somalia has never been able to shake off the threat, the book has piercing details of what still goes wrong both among Somalis and in the international community.
*AP News*

Featuring interviews with government officials, former al-Shabaab members, soldiers and numerous other sources, the authors leave no stone unturned in their quest to tell the story of just how al-Shabaab continues to operate and why it continues to attract young people. This is hugely informative painstakingly-researched book.
*African Arguments*

The book by Maruf and Joseph is a very readable, very informative and in passages thrilling account that provides partly unknown details for Somalia-specialists and a basis for reflection and comparison for counter-terrorism experts. Due to the style of writing, it is even accessible for interested non-specialists. The book is recommended strongly for thinking about and beyond the Somali setting.
*African Affairs*

Maruf and Josef, who are first-rate journalists, are to be congratulated on this work, which is tricky and somewhat dangerous.
*ID: International Dialogue*