Al-Qaeda or ISIS? Shabaab militants fight
SUNDAY
APRIL 23 2017
A file
photo taken on February 17, 2011 shows Al-Shabaab Islamists doing drills at a
village in Lower Shebelle region in Somalia. The group is loyal to Al-Qaeda.
PHOTO | ABDURASHID ABDULLE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
By
FRED MUKINDA
More by this Author
More by this Author
Security
agencies have been placed on high alert after fighting broke out among
Al-Shabaab factions in Somalia, with some militants fleeing to Kenya.
Some
Al-Shabaab commanders want to remain committed to Al-Qaeda while a new crop of leaders
want to be allied to the Syrian-based Islamic State group.
The war
broke on April 15 when Al-Shabaab executed Sheikh Said Bulbul and Abu Karim,
who ranked high in the organisation’s hierarchy.
The two
had sworn allegiance to IS.
EXECUTIONS
Soon, Al-Shabaab, which years ago joined Al-Qaeda, started what security agencies described as cleansing of militants who could not be trusted, most of them foreign fighters.
Soon, Al-Shabaab, which years ago joined Al-Qaeda, started what security agencies described as cleansing of militants who could not be trusted, most of them foreign fighters.
Ahmed
Yusuf Hassan, 26 and Ahmed Nur Abdi Osoble, 20 — both Kenyans — were executed
by firing squad at Buq Aqable in Hiraan region on March 27.
Other
Kenyans killed include a fugitive identified as Asum from Majengo, Nairobi,
Omambia Jared, a former Moi University student, and Faraj Abdumajid from
Mombasa.
SPIES KILLED
Al-Shabaab
squads also publicly beheaded four foreign fighters in Lower Juba, accusing
them of spying for the Kenya Defence Forces and Somali National Army.
Civilians
suspected of spying by the terrorists have not been spared either.
Security
sources say at present, only one Kenyan is in the good books of the terrorist
organisation.
Ahmed
Iman, a former Kenyatta University student who grew up in Majengo, Nairobi, is
in-charge of prosecutions and executions.
He was
previously in charge of Al-Shabaab propaganda on the internet.
Iman is
a common figure in internet videos, and if often seen wearing military fatigues
and taunting the KDF and AU missions in Somalia.
Kenyan
soldiers entered Somalia in October 2011 to neutralise the Al-Shabaab threat.
POLICE REMAIN VIGILANT
A
confidential dispatch seen by the Nation says security agencies have been
placed on alert after an audio recording by Abu Musab, an Al-Shabaab militant,
was intercepted.
In the
clip, he is seen castigating the execution of the two and pledging loyalty to
IS.
The
audio urges recruits to join a new faction of Al-Shabaab called Dini ya
Kiislamu Super Power or DKSP.
Security
agencies say the faction is headed by a Sheikh Mumin.
According
to estimates, he has 1,035 followers in Kenya.
Seven
are known to security agencies and are on the police list of the country’s
wanted terrorists.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(
Atom
)
No comments :
Post a Comment