The Islamic Courts Union (ICU) was an alliance of Sharia Courts that formed in opposition to the transitional government of Somalia. The courts formed after the collapse of the Somali government in 1991 and began consolidating power in 1999. The group was considered by many, including the U.S. government, to have ties to Al Qaeda, but they denied such links in an official statement to the The United Nations and world community.

ICU leaders resigned in anticipation of the December 27, 2006 siege of Mogadishu by Ethiopian-backed Somali troops. Following the siege, the hold that the ICU maintained over much of Somalia was broken and the ICU reformed into Al Shabaab, also known as the Popular Resistance Movement in the Land of the Two Migrations.