A campaign of airstrikes in Somalia forced al-Shabaab to limit group communications and shift away from large gatherings of top leaders. In northwest Nigeria, an airstrike against Lakurawa terrorist camps forced fighters to flee to the north. Local sources told researcher Viktor Marsai that many of the terrorists were shocked at being targeted and had previously felt safe from airstrikes. “Neither example demonstrates a full defeat of terrorist groups, but these cases demonstrate how airstrikes can weaken groups’ coherence and operational capacities — at least for a time,” he wrote for The Soufan Center in an August 4 brief.
Marsai Viktor
2026. szeptember 22.
Africa Defense Forum
