Thursday's suicide bombings in Somaliamay be aimed at sending a message to the United States and breaking the moraleof UNISOM peacekeepers, says Rashid Abdi, an analyst for the InternationalCrisis Group.
Thebombings killed more than 20 people, including AMISOM's deputy commander.
USforces staged a helicopter raid in Somalia Monday that reportedly killed SalehAli Saleh Nabhan, one of Africa's most wanted members of al-Qaida.
"Thislooks like?retaliation for US action. Ithink it also comes against the background of threats that have been there?whenal-Shabaab indicated that they are going to target AMISOM troops," he says.
"I think these kinds of attacks willcontinue. But?we must realize that thereis also resolve on the part of the international community to keep thesepeacekeepers there. Although some kindof disappointment will be there on the part of Amisom, I don't think this willcreate a morale crisis," he says.
Nevertheless, he believes al-Shabaaband al-Qaida will try to create one. Al-Shabaab has warned Djibouti not to send troops to AMISOM.
"Ithink obviously these kinds of attacks do not help those countries that want tosend peacekeepers. I think one of the reasonswhy there has been a great deal of reluctance on the part of some other Africantroop-contributing countries is precisely because of this kind of action," hesays.
However,he says there's a growing "realization" among the international community thatmore needs to be done.
"Unlessthere is some?increased troop levels, then probably the whole future of theTransition Federal Government (TFG) hangs very much in the balance," he says.
Abdidescribes the TFG as "very weak."
"Itcontrols very little territory in Mogadishu. It is increasingly under pressure from al-Shabaab and theinsurgents. It's now reliant on AMISOMto basically survive. And I think thisattack is virtually aimed at creating panic and sowing a morale crisis withinAMISOM so that they pull out," he says.
"I think it is difficult to tell atthis stage the impact that the removal of such a high-level figure (Nabhan)will have on the movement itself. Thereare mixed views," he says.
Somesay it won't have any major effect, while others say the loss of Nabhan willaffect al-Shabaab's ability to launch similar attacks in the future.
"Everything is up in the air at thismoment," he says.