African Terror Franchise Now Has Competition From Islamic State
by The Wall Street Journal
SWJ Blog Post | October 26, 2016 - 5:32am
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African Terror Franchise Now Has Competition From Islamic State by Heidi Vogt, Wall Street Journal
Islamic State’s push to co-opt one of Africa’s deadliest jihadist movements has come with an attempt to present a softer face to potential recruits.
Over the past year, the jihadist group also known as ISIS and Daesh has launched a broad recruitment campaign across Somalia to pry foot soldiers and senior operatives from al-Shabaab, a two-decade-old insurgency allied with al Qaeda that has made it very clear they have no desire to switch franchises. Stung by battlefield losses to larger al-Shabaab forces, Islamic State has offered promises of an easier life: lower taxes, more tolerance for substance abuse and fewer political diatribes.
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