Over the years, there has been plenty of handwringing over the issue of whether al Shabaab, the Islamist terror group in Somalia, is allied with al Qaeda. Despite the fact that al Shabaab announced its intent to merge with al Qaeda in September 2008,  and al Qaeda’s second in command, Ayman al Zawahiri, granted the request in Novemebr 2008, some Somalia watchers refused to acknowledge the two groups were linked. Many, also, refused to ignore al Shabaab’s use of suicide attacks, its calls for international jihad, or the steady stream of foreign fighters – Arabs, Pakistanis, Americans, Brits, Swedes, etc. – entering the country.

Some al Shabaab skeptics, such as Danger Room‘s David Axe, changed their mind about the threat of al Shabaab after the July 11 suicide attacks in Kampala, Uganda. Al Shabaab took credit for the attacks, which killed 74 civilians at a restaurant and a rugby club as folks watched the World Cup final match.