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Blog: ‘Hidden agenda’

The Somali transitional federal government implemented Sharia law in the country in March in an effort to drain support for the radical Islamist guerrillas.
But a senior police officer in Mogadishu – who also asked the BBC to withhold his name – said the government’s move would not stop the killing because al-Shabab had a “hidden agenda… to make the world unsafe”.
The police officer said al-Shabab was led by foreigners, while some younger members of the organisation were Somalis who had spent time abroad.
They had often been dropouts or addicts and were the most vulnerable to be used as suicide bombers, he added.
The BBC tried to speak to members who have deserted al-Shabab, but they declined, fearing repercussions.
But through speaking to former al-Shabab members, the Somali police say those recruited for suicide bombings are given drugs and are barely aware of the consequences of their actions.
Police also said that some al-Shabab members know little about religion and are simply brainwashed to carry out jihadist activities.
The Ethiopian troop pullout in January has left an over-stretched and understaffed African Union peacekeeping force in the capital that is now struggling to find a peace to keep.
As The Lads consolidate their territorial gains and menace Mogadishu, Somalia’s text message insurgents have so far proved very hard to cut off.