Apparently a devastating famine and al-Shabaab's withdrawal from the capital isn't enough to stop the fighting. Alex Thurston worries about escalation:
Reuters’ Richard Lough argues that al Shabab’s withdrawal indicates that within its divided leadership, the “international wing influenced by foreign fighters who favor guerrilla tactics like suicide bombings…won the day.” This wing’s victory, Lough adds, “could herald a wave of al Qaeda-style suicide attacks.” Whether or not that prediction proves true, the widespread reports of divisions within al Shabab suggest the movement’s tactics may soon change, making a conventional military campaign against them more difficult.
Joshua Goldstein is more upbeat. Hawa Abdi recounts a harrowing tale of her experience with Somalia's war.
The Dish 