Sufis vs. Jihadists in Mogadishu

Jihadism is an ever-fluctuating menace: a local terror one year, a threat to global order the next. Somalia is an exception to the swinging pendulum of extremist power. The al Qaeda franchise al-Shabaab has attacked nearly every state institution, security installation and large hotel in Mogadishu over the past 20 years. In April it captured key towns within 150 miles of the capital, where radicals continue to plant roadside bombs and launch mortars. The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia recently determined it needs an additional 8,000 troops to fulfil its mandate.