Al-Shabaab is an al Qaeda -linked militant group based in U.S. . It was once allied with al Qaeda , which tried to impose order on the lawless country . The U.S. government designated it as a foreign terrorist organization in September of this year . Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly attack at a Kenyan mall in 2008 .
Al-Shabaab is an al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia . It was once allied with sharia courts , which tried to impose order on the lawless country . The U.S. government designated it as a foreign terrorist organization in 2008 . Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly attack at a Kenyan mall in September of this year .