Sure there's always the what-if, but in the counterfactual there likely wouldn't be nearly as much cash and weapons floating around. There are significant ties

Sure there's always the what-if, but in the counterfactual there likely wouldn't be nearly as much cash and weapons floating around. There are significant ties between groups. They may not be under a unified command structure, but training, funding, and fighters pass between regional organizations. Al-Qaeda has done more than a fair share of mischief in Somalia, and there's no doubt that groups like al-Shabaab have reaped the benefits of learning from Al-Qaeda.