Does this signify a change in administration policy with respect to the scope of authority it claims to possess under the 2001 AUMF? We don’t have enough information to answer that question, but it is certainly an important one. To the best of my knowledge, the administration has not yet taken the position that al Shabab collectively constitutes an “associated force” of al Qaeda that is engaged in hostilities against the United States or its allies, bringing it within the scope of the AUMF.