Zelalem Mulugeta2025-04-012025-04-012022-06https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/5242Terrorism is the most controversial concept to understand among state and non-state actors. That is why the saying “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter” comes to the front in its definition. Besides its unreconcilable debates, Terrorism is now a global issue embedded in the international system. It is the most national security threat to Ethiopia. Religious extremism-related terrorism has been historically inherent to Ethiopia as Islamic extremist Al-Ittihad Al-Islamia later became Islamic Courts Union, and Al-Shabaab was operated in the country since the 1990s. The main objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of Ethiopia’s Counterterrorism Strategy(ies) in combating al-Shabaab. To generate and analyze data, the study employed a qualitative research approach. Ethiopia has used its security sectors for counterterrorism and enacted legal and policy frameworks to support its measures. As a result, Ethiopia stands out as being particularly successful in the fight against Terrorism. Ethiopia employed Hard Power (the military approach) Approach to counterterrorism, which is a short-term remedy. It overlooks the Soft Power Approach (the non military approach), the most effective strategy to deal with the issue in a long-lasting perioden-USThesis