Kenya military beefs up security along border with Somalia
KENYA POLICE ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR THE WHEREABOUTS
OF BRITISH LADY TERROR SUSPECT WHO ENTERED KENYA USING
A FAKE SOUTH AFRICAN PASSPORT
SPECIAL REPORT BY XINHUA CORRESPONDENTS
PETER MUTAI AND CHRISPINUS OMAR
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- Kenyan authorities said on Saturday they will beef up security along the border with Somalia after the re-hating of the Kenya Defence Force (KDF) soldiers into the African Union Peacekeeping Mission (AMISOM).
Deputy Police Spokesman Charles Owino said that even after the envisaged re-hatting, the threat of an attack is still present, noting that arrangements will be made to seal off the border where the militia has been getting access."Sympathizers of Al-Shabaab might still want to carry-out revenge attacks on Kenyan soil after the re-hatting of the KDF," Owino told journalists in Nairobi.
He said authorities have resolved to send paramilitary police to strengthen border security to ensure that Al-Shabaab who are facing one of the stiffest onslaught does not cross the border into Kenya.
The East African country has recently admitted that the threat of terror attacks remains real, but security personnel are on high alert.
The Al-Shabaab militia group, which is aligned to al-Qaida network, said before that it would attack Kenya.
Since the east African nation sent troops across the border into Somalia six months ago, north-eastern Kenya has been hit by a series of blasts, many targeting local security forces.
The minister also promised Kenyans that the government will use all means to protect the border points where the militia has been getting access.The authorities have said members of the insurgents were using motorbikes to access entry into the country through the border points.
Meanwhile, Owino said the Kenya police who were escorting a ship in the Indian Ocean and were arrested in Comoros will soon be released.
"It was unfortunate that a communication breakdown existed between the Kenya police and Comoros immigration officials who only wanted to verify whether they were indeed not pirates," the deputy spokesman said.Owino said that the communication equipment on the ship where the Kenyan police were, failed and so they entered Comoros territory accidentally and could not communicate effectively with Comoros police who spoke French."As soon as the Comoros officials verify that the Kenya police as not pirates they will be freed," he added.
He said that Kenya police are still searching for the whereabouts of British lady terror suspect who entered Kenya using a fake South African Passport.
"We cannot confirm whether she is in Kenya or not but we would be happy to catch up with her as she can help us in our investigations since she is also wanted by British authorities," the deputy spokesman said.
The police suspect the terror woman is fundraising for a terrorist group because she has been using a number of identities, including those of Samantha Lewthwaite and Natalie Faye Web.
The Somali militants launched its first major operation outside Somalia in July 2010, when suicide bombers struck two nightclubs in Uganda, killing 79 people and wounding many others.
Top U.S. military officials have expressed concerns that Al-Shaabab intends to connect with other al-Qaida-linked militant groups in Africa.
Police re-activated an earlier terrorist alert issued during the Christmas festivities and warned the al-Qaida, the global terror network that inspires the more radical Al-Shabaab militia in Somalia, had joined a plot to attack Nairobi.
http://www.coastweek.com/3510_security_02.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment