Mogadishu’s first line of defense against the next militant attack on Somalia ’s capital ranges from machine gunners in pick-up trucks to young men in plainclothes manning checkpoints. One of the leaders is Abdikani Ali Mohamed, a teenage-faced colonel whose authority has grown in the city as Somalia’s government tries to dismantle al-Shabab networks. Mohamed’s operatives are so suspicious that even an armored vehicle — the ultimate status symbol beloved by important people — triggers alarm if it has not passed through a checkpoint for days. “What we have clearly understood is these people ( al-Shabab ) are always evolving,” Mohamed said. “The strategy is always evolving in terms of attack mechanisms and the complexity they are utilizing.”

Full report : Somalia’s fight against extremist militants shows signs of success on the streets of Mogadishu.