Monday, March 19, 2012

American Al-Shabaab Terrorist Omar Hammami

The Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) at George Washington University published an analysis of American terrorist and al-Shabaab commander Omar Hammami, also known as Abu Mansur al-Amriki, on 19 March 2012. Written by Clint Watts, senior fellow at HSPI, and Andrew Lebovich, senior analyst at Navanti Group, it is titled Hammami's Plight Amidst Al-Shabaab and Al-Qaeda's Game of Thrones.

The analysis points out that Hammami may be caught between factions in al-Shabaab that want closer ties to al-Qaeda and those who want more distance from al-Qaeda. Hammami, who is not Somali and grew up in Alabama, seems to have attached himself to the faction that favors closer relations with al-Qaeda. The analysis properly downplays the importance of Hammami to the future of al-Shabaab.