Introduction
Misquoting Abdirahman Aynte, Dr Stig Jarle Hansen says “Al-shabaab al-Shabaab originated in a 2003 meeting in Hargeisa” .
In 2010 the former director of Mogadishu-based the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies ( now Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of Somali Federal Government) , Abdirahman Aynte Ali, wrote a paper on Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (hereafter al-Shabaab). Ali’s paper has been cited by influential analysts, researchers and academics who now believe that the “Laasa’ aanood” district in Northern Somalia is the cradle of al-Shabaab. Laasa’ aanood is a victim of an uncorroborated quote Ali had attributed to a Somali Sheikh who was a member of the now-defunct al-Itihaad al-Islaami and on whom Ali had conferred authoritativeness. Among questions this ebook tries to answer are: Is lawlessness or relative peace the factor that makes a place conducive to the emergence of a militant organisation like al-Shabaab? What were Puntland leaders doing while the alleged meeting was taking place in Laasa’ aanood?
Read more at : The Cradle of al-Shabaab
