Terrorist organizations in Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, present a current threat to the region and to the interests of the United States. This article will address the involvement of a terrorist network in Somalia by analyzing the actions and motivations of Al-Shabab, the Somali government, and the United States. Al-Shabab gathers support using religion, undermining the Somali government, and providing jobs and opportunities to the Somali population. If Al-Shabab continues to gain power, it could lead to more extreme terrorist attacks in Somalia and the region. One of the methods Al-Shabab uses to gain supporters in Somalia is to use religious rhetoric to wage a jihad to eliminate those they view as enemies of Islam. . As Ibrahim stated, "Al-Shabab also began employing militant 'crusader' language to exploit and evoke the primal fears of powerful foreigners, claiming that the TFG relied entirely on protection provided by 'infidels' “foreigners” (Ibrahim 284). They also took advantage of a situation in which the Somali government was struggling to enforce laws and standards in some parts of the country. This led Al-Shabab to begin implementing Sharia law as a better alternative than what was in place. Even though the people face "their own harsh interpretation of Sharia law, banning various types of entertainment, such as movies and music, the sale of khat (a narcotic plant often chewed), tobacco, shaving of the beard and many other “un-Islamic” activities” (Masters). In 2006, Al-Shabab threatened the Somali government of Baidoa by attempting to overthrow the local government and establish its own Islamic Courts Union (ICU) courthouses. Somalia was not going to cede the city, but had not... middle of paper ......ry, a development hailed by the UN as a sign of improving security" (Galkayo) . Now, with U.S. help, the Somali government could continue to stabilize. The United States has a direct interest in stabilizing Somalia since "three prominent foreign terrorists used Somalia to recruit, train, hide, and smuggle weapons, including for the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania” (Ibrahim 284). Additionally, the United States is helping Somila's government prevent extremist terrorists from taking power by training troops and providing them with more resources. This is reflected in "greater coordination between AMISOM (of the African Union Mission in Somalia) and TFG (of the Somali Transitional Federal Government) forces and the reported training of Somali intelligence agents by the Central Intelligence Agency. (Alexandre Meleagrou-Hitchhikers)