Kenya declares war on Al Shabaab!

[bagamoyo]

By
Nation Reporter
31.12.2011
Nairobi, Kenya
Updates on:
Operation Linda Nchi
Location: Nationwide


POLICE NAME SHABAAB SUSPECTS IN MAJENGO AREA OF NAIROBI AND MOMBASA

Kenya Police has published names of 15 suspects with Al Shabaab connections and are believed to have entered Kenya from Kismayu.

Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe on Saturday said despite the new developments, security surveillance and regular patrols have been intensified to ensure adequate security.


"The group comprises of nine Kenyans, two Asians and four Somalis aged between 24 to 32 years old. Most of the Kenyans are known to have resided in Majengo area of Nairobi and Mombasa before leaving for Somalia about an year ago" said Kiraithe.


Mr Kiraithe who was addressing the press on Operation Linda Nchi status briefing has called on event organisers to seek clearance with the police before organising public functions.


Department of Defence's Colonel Cyrus Oguna noted that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) had managed to put to an end Al Shabaab's source of funding that largely includes charcoal burning in the southern parts of Somalia.

Read more Source:
Police name Shabaab suspects in Kenya - News |nation.co.ke

 

[Askari Kanzu]

...Department of Defence's Colonel Cyrus Oguna noted that the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) had managed to put to an end Al Shabaab's source of funding that largely includes charcoal burning in the southern parts of Somalia...

Yaani mapato ya Al Shabaab yanatokana na mauzo ya mkaa? Is Col. Oguna serious?

 

[kshaka]

Yaani mapato ya Al Shabaab yanatokana na mauzo ya mkaa? Is Col. Oguna serious?

here's how;

There is a noticeable change in the vegetation as one crosses the border from Kenya into southern Somalia, with sections where many of the short, tough acacia trees have been cut down for charcoal.
While there is thick tree cover on the Kenyan side near Ishakani, which reduces visibility to a few metres, inside the Somalia border, the bare open plain stretches approximately four to five kilometres.
The taking of Ras Kamboni and Bur Gaboby, the two fishing towns by the sea that have been under the control of Al Shaabab, by the Kenya defence forces has struck an economic blow at the militia group.

As Ras Kamboni is closer to the Kenyan side than Bur Gabo up north, it served as the base of fishermen who supplied fish to hotels in Lamu and resorts on the islands operated.
The cutting down of trees in large areas is evidence of the booming trade in charcoal that was a source of income for the militia group currently on the run in the Southern Sector.
At Bur Gabo, which has a deep harbour for medium-sized ships and big dhows to dock, the export of charcoal has virtually ground to a halt.
The charcoal's destination was Dubai, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other states in the United Arab Emirates, where it is used for cooking in hotels and barbeques by the general populace.
Captain Abdikadir Ahmed, the head of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia forces in the area, told The EastAfrican that up to six of the dhows used to transport charcoal would drop anchor at Bur Gabo every day.

The charcoal exporters would be required to pay Al Shaabab $15,000 as taxes daily.
It takes three days to load one dhow with a carrying capacity of about 19,000 bags. A bag is bought from the traders at $1 and resold for $4 or $5 at the final destination.
The fighting in southern Somalia over the years revolved around the control of the lucrative charcoal trade, a source of revenue that is much sought after.
The EastAfrican was told that the charcoal burners transport their products to the harbour using donkeys on the treacherous rocky paths.
With the entry of the Kenyan soldiers and the cutting off of the charcoal trade, Capt Ahmed turned away a dhow that had called into the harbour to pick up charcoal the day before he gave this interview. The harbour at Bur Gabo has mountains of charcoal packed in light green gunny bags.
"These are enough to fill about 30 dhows," said Capt Ahmed, adding that at Quday, where the Al Shaabab are believed to have headed after the fall of Bur Gabo, there is enough charcoal to fill 100 dhows.
He said that when the situation finally settles down and the Transitional Federal Government controls the economy of the region, it could reduce the taxes paid by the charcoal exporters.
Uncertainty
But he is not certain since the forces are yet to capture more towns on the coastline and inland, and such security and economic issues would have to be agreed on by the TFG.
But it is clear the charcoal trade is not about to end, and there are no concerns about environmental degradation that would characterise the charcoal trade debate in Kenya.
The environmental destruction appears to be a minor issue for the local people and their leaders, going by the response by Ahmed Mohammed Islan alias Madoobe, a former governor of Jubaland under the Islamic Courts Union.
"It's hard to talk about charcoal burning and the cutting down of trees," he said, adding, "Watu ndio hukatwa sana saa hii, sio miti (It is people who are losing their lives here, not the trees)."
The hinterlands of Ras Kamboni and Bur Gabo are vast and dry, favourable only for the short, tough acacia trees. The recent rains have turned the land into a lush green.
"We need people to be educated about environmental issues first so they can know that we have to stop that (business) now," said the man better known as Madoobe.
For now, Madoobe would perhaps want to secure the areas under the control of TFG and his Ras Kamboni Brigade, have access to Kenya restored so business can get back on its feet and bring back some peace to Somalia.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201111140919.html

 

[kshaka]

They also used to tax fishermen's cath to raise revenue...

 

[Askari Kanzu]

kshaka, the Al Shabaab's funding network is more complicated than what the Colonel wants the world to believe. That's what I am trying to say!

 

[kshaka]

kshaka, the Al Shabaab's funding network is more complicated than what the Colonel wants the world to believe. That's what I am trying to say!

Be that as it may, the fact still remains that in Southern Somalia, they derived a lot of revenue from the charcoal trade according to the people from that region ($15,000 a shipload) and from taxing fishermen and also from their control of the port of Kismayu where they levied taxes. All these sources of funding have now been severely curtailed and their ability to fund their operations has been degraded. Undoubtedly, they have other sources of funding but this is a very good start IMHO and in time, and with the array of forces lined up against them, none of this will save them as an effective organisation.

 

[Askari Kanzu]

...Undoubtedly, they have other sources of funding...

Yeah, for example:



And I guess such remittances happen in your own backyard too!

Al Jazeera (US bank stops transfers to Somalia)

 

[kshaka]

Yeah, for example:



And I guess such remittances happen in your own backyard too!

Al Jazeera (US bank stops transfers to Somalia)

I'm sure they do happen!

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Five killed in Garissa attack
By Cyrus Ombati

Five revellers were killed and 26 others injured in a grenade attack on a pub during New Year’s celebrations in Garissa. The attackers suspected to be Al Shabaab militants’ sympathisers hurled two grenades into the dance floor of the Locas Pub at around midnight on Saturday and shot at those who tried to escape from the scene.

Witnesses said the attackers were in two salon cars and were armed with AK 47 rifles.

Police said the attackers hurled the grenades into the dance floor but the explosives got stuck in the roof and took time to explode giving some of the patrons time to run out.

Among the deceased were an Administration Police officer attached to Balambala Station who was in the bar.

The attack came as security was heightened in major towns over fears of terror attacks. Commissioner of police Mathew Iteere said they had beefed up security in most areas and vowed to get those behind the attack.

No arrest has been made in connection with the attack, which is the latest in a series that have been witnessed in the area.

The injured are admitted at a hospital in Garisa with multiple injuries. Police said some of them have bullet wounds. Police said they believe the attackers are sympathisers of Somalia’s al-Shabaab militant group.

"We will be vigilant. Let them be told we are determined to ensure safety of the country and Kenyans at large," said Iteere.

The Standard

 

[bagamoyo]

By Askarikanzu
Five revellers were killed and 26 others injured in a grenade attack on a pub during New Year's celebrations in Garissa. The attackers suspected to be Al Shabaab militants' sympathisers hurled two grenades into the dance floor of the Locas Pub at around midnight on Saturday and shot at those who tried to escape from the scene.

Rambirambi zetu

Duh! yaani mwisho wa mwaka na tukio hili, tunawaombea jirani zetu mwaka 2012 matukio haya yasiwe mengi maana mwaka 2011 ulikuwa tishio

 

[Nonda]

Bofya Gunmen attack bars in northeast Kenya, at least 2 dead | Top News | Reuters

 

[Kabaridi]

[video=youtube_share;L1-MYAr0j1k]http://youtu.be/L1-MYAr0j1k[/video]

Frank otieno anatupia macho mji wa busaar ambao kwa sasa hauoko tena chini ya mikoni ya la-shabaab kwani jeshi la kenya na jeshi la tfg limepiga kambi eneo hilo baada ya vita

 

[Askari Kanzu]

[video=youtube_share;L1-MYAr0j1k]http://youtu.be/L1-MYAr0j1k[/video]

Frank otieno anatupia macho mji wa busaar ambao kwa sasa hauoko tena chini ya mikoni ya la-shabaab kwani jeshi la kenya na jeshi la tfg limepiga kambi eneo hilo baada ya vita

Aisee huo sio mji, hicho ni kijiji. Alafu nyie wakenya muwe chonjo na hao wasomali iko siku watawasaliti na kuwageuka. Yaani mzinga mmoja unahudumiwa na askari karibuni kumi?

Anyway, kudos kwa KTN kwa kutumia Kiswahili!

 

[bagamoyo]

By
John Ngirachu
01.01.2012
Nairobi, Kenya
Operation Linda Nchi


FIREPOWER AND NATIONAL PRIDE
Al-Shabaab: The Slippery Militia that Kenya has had to deal with

For the first time since independence, Kenyan forces have occupied part of a neighbouring country not as peacekeepers, but to protect a substantive national interest.

The incursion into Somalia dominated news reports for the last three months of 2011.

JOHN NGIRACHU was among the journalists who covered the war for this newspaper.

Here, he takes us through the religious militancy of the Al Shabaab militia - which provoked Kenya into action- the strength of the Kenyan forces in Somalia, and the future of the Horn of Africa nation once the Kenyan Defence Forces, now enlisted into Amisom, eventually pull out ...................

Read more: Daily Nation:Breaking News, Kenya, Africa, Politics, Business, Sports, Blogs, Photos, Videos*- Home

You have no idea who you are dealing with in terms of guerrilla warfare

 

[Kabaridi]

By
John Ngirachu
01.01.2012
Nairobi, Kenya
Operation Linda Nchi


FIREPOWER AND NATIONAL PRIDE
Al-Shabaab: The Slippery Militia that Kenya has had to deal with

For the first time since independence, Kenyan forces have occupied part of a neighbouring country not as peacekeepers, but to protect a substantive national interest.

The incursion into Somalia dominated news reports for the last three months of 2011.

JOHN NGIRACHU was among the journalists who covered the war for this newspaper.

Here, he takes us through the religious militancy of the Al Shabaab militia - which provoked Kenya into action- the strength of the Kenyan forces in Somalia, and the future of the Horn of Africa nation once the Kenyan Defence Forces, now enlisted into Amisom, eventually pull out ...................

Read more: Daily Nation:Breaking News, Kenya, Africa, Politics, Business, Sports, Blogs, Photos, Videos*- Home

[video=youtube_share;p1C_DQaKvxM]http://youtu.be/p1C_DQaKvxM[/video]

Hawa wataangamia tu. Hawana wafadhili tena

 

[Kabaridi]

Aisee huo sio mji, hicho ni kijiji. Alafu nyie wakenya muwe chonjo na hao wasomali iko siku watawasaliti na kuwageuka. Yaani mzinga mmoja unahudumiwa na askari karibuni kumi?

Anyway, kudos kwa KTN kwa kutumia Kiswahili!

KDF is combing virtually everywhere

 

[bagamoyo]

By
David Ochami
03.01.2012
Nairobi, Kenya
Operation Linda Nchi
Location: Southern Somalia

MILITARY EXPOSES WARFARE TRICKS ELUSIVE SOMALI MILITIA DEPLOY
Despite inflicting damage on Al Shabaab militia and expelling them from a large section of Gedo region, Kenyan and Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops are not under-estimating the militants' ability to hit back.

What KDF spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna meant in October last year when he said war against Al Shabaab "is not a picnic" is underlined by TFG spokesman Warfa Sheikh Aden in Somalia's Burhache town.

Al Shabaab is believed to have between 800 and 1,200 insurgents, including foreign fighters in the three sectors. The foreigners mainly train local insurgents in the use of heavy weapons and also prepare most of the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED).

Through propaganda the militants routinely deny their losses, make extravagant claims of victory and exaggerate enemy losses on their radio station Al Andalus and social media.

The group's techno-savvy campaigners have waged the propaganda war to mask widening rifts within the movement and territorial losses as well as Al Shabaab's inability to re-supply their fighters effectively.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has established bases deep into Somalia, including at Busar in the Northern Sector and Bilis Qooqani in the Central Sector, but military planners are not underestimating Al Shabaab's ability to retaliate inside Somalia and on the Kenyan home front.

Read more source: The Standard | Online Edition :: Home

This is what we want to hear/read from news media/Col Cyrus Oguna/ Major Chirchir ' A balanced report'

 

[Askari Kanzu]

Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Blast at Kenyan army injures three in Mandera town

A huge blast targeted on Kenyan army vehicles in Madera town, on the border with Somalia, injuring at least three civilian people, reports and witnesses said on Tuesday.

A landmine bomb exploded Tuesday at Kenyan army convoy passing on a road in Madera town near the Somalia border wounded three civilians in the blast, some of them seriously.

Witnesses said, the Kenyan army, who has been targeted by the explosion escaped narrowly from the blast, but three civilians nearby exploded zone were injured.

After the explosion, hundreds of Kenyan army have reached at the scene and began search operations to find out the mastermind of the incident.

At least ten local people were reported to have been arrested by the Kenyan army and taken into custody in Madera town. It was not yet clear who was responsible for Tuesday's explosion.

The incident is the latest in a string of attacks against the military and other targets in Kenya since the Kenyan government sent troops into Somalia in October.

Source:Shabelle media Network

 

[Nonda]

KDF is combing virtually everywhere

Is Kenya safer now?
What are the consequences of Kenya invading a neighbouring state?

Why Kenya did not deploy the army to police its borders instead of waging this war?

 

[Kabaridi]

Is Kenya safer now?
What are the consequences of Kenya invading a neighbouring state?

Why Kenya did not deploy the army to police its borders instead of waging this war?

When you say invade, you mean Somalia is a sovereign state? Why did other militarys except Kenya, deploy their troops before Kenya swamped in Somalia or "invaded"?. And if, the other militaries were successful to invade, why were people then less apprehensive to past invasions. They AS have taken Somalia as playground to harbour terrorists, jihadists and all sorts of pirates. Somalia has been a threat to security within the East African region, every person knows that.

You do not have to be told that you have to put out a fire before it destroys. Somalia has been a transit-point for AL-qaeda operatives from middle-east to wage war against targets they find hard to attack, hence they opt for soft targets in africa. At the end, the people who suffer most are innocent people. Do you expect an muslim fundamentalist/extremist to understand the reasoning language of "peace"?.

You cannot acquire perfect security 100%, but you can atleast try to avert dangers posed by terrorist activities