Thread by @thomasjoscelyn

1. Shabaab (Al Qaeda's branch in East Africa) has released a statement on yesterday's attack in #Nairobi, #Kenya. It was published along with an English-language translation. Some points to follow.

2. First, Shabaab says the attacked was carried out by its Saleh An-Nabhan Battalion. This is significant. This same unit -- named for an al Qaeda veteran who was embedded within Shabaab early on -- has carried out a number of high-profile attacks.

3. Nabhan first publicly swore allegiance *on behalf of Shabaab* to al Qaeda's senior leadership in Sept. 2008. Al Qaeda told Shabaab that it didn't want to make the relationship widely known, which some *incorrectly* interpreted as AQ rejecting Shabaab's request for a merger.

4. For more on Nabhan and the backstory on Shabaab's allegiance to al Qaeda, see the piece below. @billroggio focused on AQ characters such as Nabhan early on, as well as other details, correctly reporting that there was more going on than people thought.
longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/…

5. Note Shabaab says it "carried out this operation - codenamed Operation 'Jerusalem will never be Judaized' - in accordance with the guidelines of Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri...in targeting western and Zionist interests worldwide and in support of our Muslim families in Palestine."

6. That is, Shabaab is one again signaling its loyalty to al Qaeda and its overall emir: Ayman al-Zawahiri.

This is not unusual. It is a regular occurrence, as we've documented multiple times, including here:
longwarjournal.org/archives/2018/…

7. Shabaab tries to tie the attack to the Palestinian cause, and specifically mentions President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The target wasn't explicitly Jewish -- but the jihadists try to conflate these issues as part of their messaging.

8. On a related note, Shabaab's Shahada 'News' Agency reported that one of the terrorists in Nairobi wore a red bandana linking his service to the issue of Al-Aqsa.