Ahmad Umar, (click here) also known as Abu Ubaidah, is the emir of al Shabaab. Al Shabaab spokesman Ahmed Abdi aw Mohamed announced Umar as the group’s leader on September 6, 2014, after a September 1 U.S. airstrike killed former al Shabaab emir Ahmed Abdi Godane.
It emerged as the radical youth wing of Somalia's now-defunct Union of Islamic Courts, which controlled Mogadishu in 2006, before being forced out by Ethiopian forces.
There are numerous reports of foreign jihadists going to Somalia to help al-Shabab, from neighbouring countries, as well as the US and Europe.
It is banned as a terrorist group by both the US and the UK and is believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters.
Al-Shabab advocates the Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam, while most Somalis are Sufis.
It has imposed a strict version of Sharia in areas under its control, including stoning to death women accused of adultery and amputating the hands of thieves....
...There have also been numerous reports that al-Shabab may have formed some links with other militant groups in Africa, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, based in the Sahara desert.
Al-Shabab debated whether to switch allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group after it emerged in January 2014.
It eventually rejected the idea, resulting in a small faction breaking away.
Al-Shabab is currently led by Ahmad Umar, also known as Abu Ubaidah.
The US has issued a $6m (£4.5m) reward for information leading to his capture....
