Al-Shabab fighters were pushed out of Mogadishu, the Somalia's capital, in 2011, but the group has vowed to continue its battle against a Western-backed government which also enjoys broad pan-African support.
African Union (AU) peacekeepers and the Somali army last year opened a campaign that has forced the al Qaeda-linked fighters out of major strongholds in central and southern regions, but the group continues to mount sporadic attacks.
Nicholas Kay, the UN special representative to Somalia, told Al Jazeera that while Somali and AU forces have made some progress against al-Shabab, but there is still a long way to go to defeat the group.
