Somalia-based rebel group al-Shabab has been on the offensive in recent months retaking strings of towns in south and central Somalia.
Since the start of this year the group which is linked to al-Qaeda has retaken at least 10 towns from Ethiopian and African Union troops. They retook four town in the past month.
Analysts say that the change in fortune of al-Shabab is in part due to events outside Somalia. The anti-government protests in neighbouring Ethiopia is the reason, they argue.
Ethiopia has thousands of troops in the Horn of Africa country as part of an agreement with the Mogadishu government to fight the armed group.
But Addis Ababa denies the claim.
Al Jazeera’s Hamza Mohamed visited an al-Shabab training camp in central Somalia and obtained these exclusive photos.
Al-Shabab fighters undergoing training outside the central town of Moqokori are part of the group’s Special Forces [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Senior Al-Shabab leaders visited the fighters who included explosives experts, medics, mechanics and suicide bombers. [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Several foreign fighters from neighbouring countries are training at the camp [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Ethiopia said it was withdrawing its fighters due to financial reasons [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Al-Shabab controlled the town for more than seven years before Ethiopian and Somali troops recaptured it [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Ethiopia said it was likely to withdraw from more towns in the coming months [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Children came out to watch as al-Shabab military convoy entered Moqokori town [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Since 2011 al-Shabab has lost control of most major towns and cities in the country [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow Somalia’s internationally recognised government [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
They want to impose a strict version of Islamic law in the country [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
The Somali government has placed bounty on most of al-Shabab leaders [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
The Somali government has also offered amnesty to any al-Shabab fighter who renounce the group [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Most al-Shabab fighters have walked away from the government’s amnesty offer [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
The vehicles the group is using were taken during raids on government troops bases [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
Some of al-Shabab’s weapons were also taken from attacks on African Union bases [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]
