The al-Shabab militia, at a camp outside Mogadishu, continues to chip away at Somali and Ethiopian soldiers through insurgent attacks.

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MOGADISHU, Somalia — With an assault rifle slung over his shoulder and a glass of sweet tea in his hand, 15-year-old Farah Ismail was all smiles Friday at an outdoor cafe in Mogadishu, one of the most dangerous cities on earth.

A fighter for al-Shabab, a radical Islamic group at the heart of Somalia's deadly insurgency, Ismail was clearly emboldened. His comrades advanced to within miles of Somalia's capital in the last few days, seizing vast territory in recent weeks and vowing to use strict Muslim rules to bring their lawless Horn of Africa country under control.

"I am happy with how things are going here," Ismail said, squinting under the dazzling sun in this once-beautiful seaside capital, which has crumbled into a scorched, bullet-pocked shantytown during Somalia's 20 years of anarchy. "I can go freely anywhere I want and I can target my enemy by sight."

The steady and seemingly uncontested rise of al-Shabab, which America considers a terrorist organization, exceeds the worst-case scenarios laid out in late 2006 when Somalia's U.N.-backed government rolled into Mogadishu supported by powerful Ethiopian troops and drove out radical Islamists intent on ruling by strict Shariah law.

The past two years have been a bloodbath as the Islamic fighters launched a vicious, Iraq-style insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians and sent an estimated half of Mogadishu's 2 million people fleeing from near-daily roadside bombings and remote-controlled explosions. They have seized most of southern Somalia — advancing to within 10 miles of the capital Wednesday — allowing fighters like Ismail to roam the streets unhindered.

Princeton Lyman, an Africa expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the recent gains by al-Shabab — which means The Youth — reflect the government's "almost total collapse."

One thing Somalis are accustomed to, however, is chaos.

After two decades of violence and uncertainty, Somalia's capital somehow carries on. Buses are packed with people, women sell vegetables by the side of the road and businessmen operate out of tumbled-down storefronts. Men sporting henna-stained beards gather for hours in small cafes.

When the mortar shells rain down — as they always do — everyone scatters for cover.

Some war-weary residents say they have no interest in the Shabab's interpretation of Islam — as long as they can bring peace.

Still, it is unlikely the Islamist fighters will try to take over the capital anytime soon, opting instead to chip away at the Somali and Ethiopian soldiers through their near-daily insurgent attacks. They also are launching what appears to be a hearts-and-minds campaign, promising to restore order.

Aden Haji Macow, a 39-year-old shop owner, said government soldiers are undisciplined and steal from civilians.

"They are poorly paid and they are voracious for money to buy qat," she said, referring to the popular narcotic leaf that al-Shabab has banned in its territory. "The soldiers steal our mobile phones and other valuables at gunpoint, but the Islamists do not do that," Macow said in Merka, a port city some 56 miles from the capital, which al-Shabab captured earlier this week.