Al Shabaab Attacks Kenya

Al Shabab - Famous Somali Bandits   

The latest infiltration by Somali bandits -- this time the shooting of one Kenyan and abduction of two foreign aid workers in the Dabaab refugee camp -- exposes Kenya's soft underbelly.

The raid in Dabaab across miles of semi-desert to the Somali border, is the third in two months following earlier attacks by sea in Lamu.

Three foreigners have now been captured in Kenya and spirited across the border where they are believed to be in the hands of the al Shabaab rebel group that boasts links to the Al Qaeda network, the modern face of global terrorism.
These attacks are doing incalculable harm to Kenya's reputation as an oasis of peace and stability.
The fact that foreigners seem to be targeted obviously secures the abductions maximum mileage in the international media.
This is an indication that these are not random attacks, but carefully plotted by the Somali-based networks to hit Kenya where it might hurt most.
The bandits are demonstrating that they can strike Kenya with impunity; calling into question the effectiveness of Kenya's security forces.
After the last incursion in Lamu, a great show was made of sending out top security officials to show the flag in the region and issue threats of dire retribution.



The response was the Thursday abductions right inside Kenya, probably carried out by sleepers who have been posing as helpless runaways in the biggest refugee camp complex in the world.
If indeed the half a million or so refugees in Dabaab include al Shabaab adherents, then it is frightening to imagine what number of their compatriots may have left the refugee camp and made their way to big cities and towns across Kenya just waiting for the signal to strike.
These attacks must be taken as a declaration of war. Such actions cannot be countered with empty words or acts of appeasement.
Aggressive action is required to demonstrate to all and sundry that our national security is not to be trifled with.


By The Daily Nation