Government Identifies 35 Al Shabaab Spies In Kenya

The Government of Kenya on Saturday divulged that it has a list of 35 individuals from Mandera County who have been recruited by Al-Shabaab to help the terror group in carrying out attacks in Kenya.

North Eastern Regional Commissioner Mohamud Saleh made this revelation indicating that the individuals are well known to the locals, have raised families in Kenya, and they cross into the country and return to Somalia frequently.

While addressing peace committee elders in Mandera town, Saleh warned that unless leaders from the area are ready to expose and condemn the group, the war against terrorism and specifically Al-Shabaab will never be won.

“We cannot pretend that we don’t know where the problem is. Our youth is fueling the Al-Shabaab menace. Even if we blame it on Somalia, the ringleaders are our youth.

"I have the names of the youth who have been recruited by Al-Shabaab. We know their families and even their wives. They cross over annually to visit their families, and nobody reports to authorities,” he noted.

[caption caption="Mohamud Saleh"][/caption]

He further called upon the peace committee elders to come out and take the lead in restoring and maintaining security in Mandera adding that it was unfortunate the region always spent most resources in fighting crime and insecurity.

“For how long are we going to talk about insecurity in the region? First, it was Shifta war, then the banditry and now the Al-Shabaab menace. 

"We cannot be calling and using our resources on security meetings. Where are we going as a region? These are the hard questions leaders from the region should start asking themselves otherwise we shall perish,” Saleh posed.

He echoed the government’s mission to carry out a massive security operation in areas prone to Al Shabaab attacks including Ijara that borders the Boni forest and the Mandera border towns of Elwak, Lafey, Kotulo among others.

The regional commissioner noted the government is reviewing its strategies to come up with new methods to combat terrorism, radicalization and violent extremism in the region.

[caption caption="Al Shabaab militants"][/caption]

Meanwhile, President Uhuru has asked the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to review its plan of withdrawing troops from Somalia, stating that the country's army is still not prepared to take over.

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