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Shabab militia patrol Bakara Market in Mogadishu on October 4, 2009.ABDURASHID ABIKAR/AFP / Getty Images

The terrorist group al-Shabab has shown off its new, terrifying ability and willingness to strike beyond Somalia's borders. Its co-ordinated attacks on Kampala, Uganda, killed at least 74 people watching the World Cup final and showed that a switch in focus is needed to make the Horn of Africa more secure.

Uganda's participation in an African Union mission in support of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, which al-Shabab is fighting as part of Somalia's larger civil war, was the stated motivation for the bombings. The group says Burundi (another participant in the AU mission) is the next target.

The mission has little to show for itself. Five thousand troops, underwritten by Western governments, prop up the transitional government, and 2,000 more are said to be joining them. But for what? Al-Shabab controls the two largest ports in the south of the country. The transitional government controls only a sliver of the capital, Mogadishu, and is among the weaker factions fighting in Somalia.

Al-Shabab, meanwhile, is drawing inspiration from al-Qaeda. Its slick online video appeals have lured people of Somali origin (including Canadians) to fight for jihad, across the clan lines that typically divide Somalis. It metes out a harsh interpretation of sharia law. Al-Shabab leaders have pledged explicit fealty to Osama Bin Laden; some delay action until getting a blessing from "al-Qaeda central" in Afghanistan/Pakistan.

Al-Shabab's aims may not be exactly aligned with al-Qaeda's; in particular, it has expressed no intention of striking Western countries. And some recruits have found the al-Shabab lifestyle to be less fulfilling than they expected.

But nothing attracts new terrorist adherents like success, and the Uganda bombing gives evidence of al-Shabab's power to new audiences.

There is no one solution for Somalia. The existence of de facto autonomous regions in the northeast and piracy make it a failed state very different from Afghanistan. The current approach, though, is not working. The United States had some success in limiting al-Shabab's reach with targeted strikes against its leaders. It should enhance these efforts, and step up assistance for Kenya, whose porous border with Somalia provides easy opportunities for terrorists.

Canada can help by turning to Canadians of Somali origin, who by large proportions abhor al-Shabab and its methods. It may wish to help members of the diaspora who are sending money and building legitimate businesses in the country. The transitional government is not the primary path to peace in the Horn of Africa, but with the right strategy, peace may be possible.

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