With less than two months remaining in office, President Obama has quietly moved to expand U.S. military operations in Somalia. According to The New York Times, the administration has decided to deem the militant group al-Shabab to be part of the armed conflict that Congress authorized after the September 11, 2001, attacks, even though al-Shabab did not exist as an organization at the time. The move will make it easier for U.S. forces to intensify airstrikes and counterterrorism operations.