Somali war criminals' desperate PR mass murders

USA Today:

The deadly mall attack in Kenya is a sign that the al-Qaeda-affiliated group that carried it out has been dealt a blow in Somalia and they are looking to generate headlines with more high-profile attacks in the region, a regional expert says.

The group that carried out the attack, al-Shabab, wants to establish an Islamist government in Somalia.

In recent years, however, African Union troops in Somalia have driven the militants out of most parts of Mogadishu as a U.S.-supported government there has attempted to establish control over the country. At one time, al-Shabab controlled parts of Mogadishu, the capital.

STORY: Kenya military says most hostages rescued in mall siege

The attack in Nairobi underscores al-Shabab's organizational skills and their commitment to die for a cause, said David Shinn, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and a professor at George Washington University.

But it also highlights that the group has to rely on high-profile terrorist attacks that generate headlines because they lack popular support and have failed in any direct fights with African Union forces in Somalia.

"Increasingly, al-Shabab has alienated the average Somali," Shinn said.
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Most terrorist attacks are the works of a weak movement trying to get some public relations attention.  The attacks have no chance of changing policy in the way they intend, and they have no ability to take and hold real estate.  Mass murder is just their way of getting attention for their failed ideology.