Tishio la ugaidi Afrika Kusini

MK254 · 2016-06-07T12:38:59+00:00

Taarifa za kuaminika zinaelezea kwamba ISIS wamejiandaa kufanya mashambulizi makubwa Afrika Kusini kwenye maduka makubwa kama lile la Westgate, kwenye huu mwezi wa ramadhan. South African shopping malls have stepped up security after Western intelligence agencies warned of a “high threat” of a terrorist attack on places popular with foreigners. American, Canadian and now British citizens living in the country or visiting have been sent advisories in recent days saying the attacks could coincide with the month of Ramadan and be motivated by a global call to action by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil). “Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners such as shopping areas in Johannesburg and Cape Town,” the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said, adding that British citizens were targets because of its involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and Syria. “You should be vigilant at this time.” The American government said the “near-term” attacks facing South Africa could focus on “upscale shopping areas and malls” in the country’s two biggest cities during Ramadan. As a result, both visible and covert security has been stepped up at well-known tourist destinations including the newly-opened Mall of Africa outside Johannesburg, the designer brand-heavy shopping mall of Sandton City and Cape Town’s Victoria and Albert Waterfront, visited in December by Prince Harry as part of a regional tour. South Africa, whose population is 1.5 per cent Muslim, has long been a transit point for terror groups because of its patchy intelligence and police networks and populous and impenetrable townships. Like most African nations, a small number of its countrymen are believed to have travelled north to fight with Isil. Those known to have spent time in the country include Samantha Lewthwaite, the so-called White Widow of one of the London July 7 suicide bombers who is on Interpol’s “most wanted” list because of her links to the Somali terror group al-Shabaab. Samantha Lewthwaite was 'a lovely young girl'Play!01:20 Lewthwaite is understood to have lived in South Africa under an assumed name between 2008 and 2011, giving birth to her fourth child in an upmarket Johannesburg maternity clinic before moving to Kenya. There, she was implicated in several attacks including one on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in September 2013 that left 67 people dead. At present, South Africa's weak rand has made it an even more attractive destination for tourists, tens of thousands whom flock to its safari parks and wine region each year. David Mahlobo, the state security minister, on Monday sought to play down the reports, whose origin remains unknown. "We remain a strong and stable, democratic country and is no immediate danger posed by the alert," he said in a statement. Some analysts agreed, saying South Africa's neutral foreign policy meant it flew under the terrorist radar. President Jacob Zuma has also been outspoken in his criticism of western intervention in the Arab Spring that brought with it the rise of Isil. CCTV appears to show Kenyan soldiers looting Westgate mallPlay!01:10 But Robert Besseling, an American risk analyst, said a successful terrorist attack in South Africa was “feasible, given police ineffectiveness, serious weaknesses within the intelligence apparatus and the lack of a counter-terrorism strategy”. He said that while there was “ample evidence” to show international terrorist networks were operational in South Africa, there was “little credible indication” of a direct threat to the country. However, aworsening economic climate and xenophobic attacks on foreigners including Somalis might have raised tensions, he added. Last May, a statement issued by Muslim organisations and scholars in South Africa said there was concern about “growing sympathy for ISIS among some South African Muslims‚ and reports received that more South Africans have left for Syria". South African shopping malls step up security amid warning of 'high threat' of terrorist attack

Thread starter MK254
Start date Jun 7, 2016

MK254

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Tishio la ugaidi Afrika Kusini

MK254

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