Abukar Ali Adan, the deputy leader of Shabaab, Al Qaeda's branch in East Africa, is a dangeorus commander who has led the group's military wing and has ties to other Al Qaeda branches in African and on the Arabian Peninsula.
Featuring many women and children, Shabaab's large protests in southern Somalia sought to put the current fighting in Israel and Palestine into the context of global jihad.
Shabaab congratulates Palestinian militant factions for their "victories" over Jews. This is not the first time Shabaab has interjected itself into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.