Somali militant group al-Shabab could split soon

Al-Shabab
Armed fighters from the Al-shabab group travel on the back of pickup trucks outside Mogadishu in Somalia on Monday Dec. 8, 2008.
AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh

Analysts and militants say that Somalia's most powerful militant group is teetering on the brink of a major split because of a rift between its top two leaders

The fight could erode the size and strength of the al-Qaida-aligned group.

The rift inside al-Shabab is over political strategy and clan rivalries, but it is fueled by the two very different outlooks held by the group's two top leaders.

Al-Shabab was formed in 2007 out of a desire to unite warring clans. Now clan loyalty may be tearing the group apart.

Rashid Abdi, a Somalia expert with the International Crisis Group, says that al-Shabab has been "deeply troubled" for quite some time. He says the group is now under serious threat.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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