Westgate Terrorist Attack: 10 Unanswered Questions
Running for dear life: To be safe, know one Islamic prayer or the name of Mohammed’s mom.
The Westgate terrorist attack has been dubbed as the worst attack since 1998 when Alqaida bombed the United States Embassy in Nairobi, killing over 200 Kenyans and wounding over 1000 others. Since the attack entered the news stream on Saturday, September 21st, 62 people are reported to have died, 175 injured while the Kenya Defence Forces are reported to be in control of Westgate shopping mall which had allegedly been taken over by the terrorists.
Security briefings have continued throughout the time of the ordeal, President Uhuru Kenyatta has addressed the Nation twice, Deputy President, William Ruto, has been granted leave from the ICC to attend to the crisis, Kenyans have been praised for remaining united, Ksh 40 million has been donated to help operations, Clergymen have prayed for the victims while several messages on how the country will deal with the terrorists have been delivered by politicians. As the government continues to deal with the crisis, and from a careful gleaning of Kenya’s mainstream newspapers, there are certain key questions which no one seems to be asking. The questions are being posed here in good faith. They are as follows:
1. Foreign Terrorists
What happened to NSIS and the Ministry of Internal Security? This is because according to news briefs by Al-Shabbab (which has claimed responsibility for the attacks) many of the terrorists had residences in foreign countries with the United States, Britain, Canada, Finland and Sweden having been mentioned in this regard. How could this group of terrorists enter Kenya unnoticed, link up in a cell, acquire cars, guns and ammunition and organize a highly successful terrorist attack on Kenyan soil without the knowledge of Kenya’s security apparatus? Is the work of NSIS to track down ICC witnesses in order to intimidate and harass them or to guard against the enemy of the Al-Shabbab type.
2. Samantha Lethwaite
The name of Samantha Lethwaite, a white British woman from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire (nicknamed “the white widow”), has popped up as possible mastermind of the Westgate attack. Samantha is a well-known terrorist wanted internationally. A report in the Kenyan media says that the body of a white woman terrorist killed during operations at Westgate could be that of Samantha. Her photos are all over the internet so assuming that the stories are credible, the next question is: how could she have sneaked into Kenya without notice?
3. What Happened to Terrorists?
Kenyans and the world were told that as at Saturday evening, at least 15 terrorists were holding about 30 hostages. By Monday evening, an official Press briefing by Internal Security Secretary said that almost all hostages had been rescued and that KDF were now “totally in charge” of all floors of Westgate shopping mall. During the rescue operation, it was announced that 3 terrorists had been killed and that 11 KDF soldiers had been injured. The question which arises is this: If all the hostages have been rescued, what happened to the terrorists who were reportedly holding the hostages? In any rescue operation of hostages being held by terrorists, and, by any stretch of the imagination, either the terrorists are usually killed to facilitate a rescue of the hostages or captured as hostages are freed. In the case of Westgate, how was it possible to free 30 hostages without either killing or capturing at least 12 other armed terrorists (3 were killed) who had managed to detain the hostages for more than 48 hours? So far, Kenyans have neither seen the bodies of the terrorists nor witnessed them being carted away during capture. Most importantly, is it really possible that all hostages could have been freed from Westgate without the terrorists being killed or captured or is this an off-the-mark question? That is: is it practically possible to snatch 30 hostages from the hands of heavily armed terrorists without the terrorists killing the hostages or the terrorists being killed by liberation forces?
4. Thirty Rescued Hostages
Honestly, Westgate has been surrounded by both the military and the media since Saturday afternoon when the terrorist attack came to light. How comes that during their rescue, and since they were rescued, there has been no single video footage or photo of the lucky few? Despite their number being large enough (30), there has been no single image of the released hostages, either being carted away by humanitarian agencies for further handling, hospitalized or being interviewed by the media about their ordeal. Images of hostages being rescued or being interviewed could have had a huge propaganda value for the government but in the case of Westgate, there has been no event so far. The big question that follows is this: were there 30 hostages at the hands of 15 terrorists in Westgate in the first place or was it just hype and hot air?
5. Escape from Westgate
The absence of the terrorist’s bodies (dead or alive) in the face of freed hostages they were allegedly holding could prompt a keen observer into asking the next question. Is it possible that majority of the terrorists may have escaped on Saturday together with survivors, leaving only a handful of terrorists (3 have been killed) behind to hold brief as Al-Shabbab propaganda rolled online? This question pops up because a survivor told a Kenyan TV station that he saw a terrorist changing into a pair of jeans before joining them to walk out of the Mall. In fact, a photo of a casually dressed terrorist captured on CCTV inside Westgate suggests that what it could have taken for a terrorist to walk away was simply to drop the gun and join the frightened crowd that was dashing for the entrance with hands up! Is it possible that majority of the terrorists simply walked away with hands up during the initial pandemonium and that all along, the nation has been led to believe that 15 terrorists were still in the Mall while majority of them had escaped? Remember, one terrorist was confirmed by the Interior Minister as having been arrested at JKIA on his way to Turkey so how many did escape? These could be weird questions but, on another note, it has to be taken into consideration that since the hostages were allegedly cornered by the terrorists, there has been no known communication between the terrorists and anybody outside Westgate. This was very strange because naturally, even if they did not intend to release the hostages, they could have been interested in sending a message as to why they had staged the terrorist operation – that KDF move out of Somalia. It is paradoxical that a terrorist group could succeed in staging a very sophisticated operation of the Westgate type and take hostages but fail to deliver their key message when opportunities of doing so were massive.
6. Delicate Matter
During his address, Uhuru Kenyatta did say that the government was moving slowly because the matter was “delicate”. The fragility of the matter lay in the possibility that the terrorists could kill all their hostages if they detected that there was any attempt by the government to rescue the hostages. How then was it possible for the hostages to be rescued before the terrorists could kill them, given that the captives were reported to be in a room where they were heavily guarded with guns literally on their heads?
7. Westgate Secured?
At a Press briefing on Monday evening, the Internal Security chief assured the nation that Westgate mall had now been fully secured by KDF (including all rooms). The next question is this: how comes that more than 10 hours after securing Westgate, journalists reporting live at the scene are still talking about heavy gun-fire inside the building? Are KDF firing guns in the air to create the impression that a heavy gun fire is in progress or who is fighting who if the mall has been “fully secured”? Surely Wakenya, excuse me but this thing does not make sense! Why are 40 million Kenyans being taken for a cool ride by representatives of a failed State led by suspects of crimes against humanity and not even the whole media establishment is able to see through it?
8. From Grenade Attacks to Mall Take-Over
When Kenya invaded Somalia, the intention was to prevent terrorist attacks. With this attack having claimed more than 60 lives, what is the government’s explanation as to what happened after Al-Shabbab was allegedly subdued, Mogadishu/Kismayu taken over and Al-Shabbab militants put out of business for good? Is there any explanation why grenade attacks have suddenly turned into a sophisticated mall take-over with even more deaths of innocent civilians at the hands of Al Shabbab terrorists who were supposed to have been all dead and buried following KDF victory in Somalia? Have the terrorists suddenly resurrected or what is the official government explanation?
9. Freedom of Expression
Kenyans have been warned from speculating especially in Social Media. Speculation comes about when information (especially on a key issue) is not forthcoming. Secondly, speculation is part of freedom of expression. The question is this: Does the Minister of Internal security know that by warning Kenyans against speculating when answers to key questions are not forth-coming, he is fundamentally violating the Kenyan constitution that guarantees freedom of expression?
10. New Tactic
Let us face it. The tactic that was used by the terrorists to take over Westgate is basically uncontrollable and can be duplicated over and over again until Jesus Christ comes back to save Kenya from suspected war criminals who are now fighting terrorists. A group of heavily armed terrorists drives and stops outside the gate of the target building. They then open fire as they enter the building. Even with four armed KDF soldiers at the entrance, the terrorists will gain entry especially if they are 15. The tactic could be repeated to take over any hotel, supermarket in town, government office building or any establishment that is not heavily guarded by a group of equally armed soldiers aka KDF. Far-fetched as it seems, they could even make a dare-devil attempt and storm the Office of President or DP Samoei’s hide-out, killing security officers and causing the DP to run for dear life this time round. Three questions therefore emerge: Is it possible for every key building, hotel, supermarket, cathedral, leisure park, stadium, bank etc (that are possible targets) to be guarded by heavily armed KDF forces just to prevent Al-Shabbab terrorists? Is it even affordable? Common sense dictates that this is impossible so why is the government cheating Kenyans that “the country is safe” when reality shows that every Kenyan inside the country could be living on borrowed time? Why is the Kenyan public accepting uncritically artificial assurances of security when evidence of the Westgate type shows that no one is safe including the stinking rich? Why are there no Kenyans demanding that KDF get out of Somalia, an expensive adventure that is responsible for the Westgate massacre and that will continue to haunt the country regardless of what politicians are saying at Press conferences?
Conclusion
Regardless of government propaganda about its handling of the Westgate attack, Kenya may slowly be entering into a ditch. If the country’s Intelligence Services is functional, it ought to borrow a leaf from the Israelis who know and understand that a bomb attack on the Palestinians usually triggers rocket attacks into Israel with heavy casualties on civilians. In this case, Somalia is our Palestine as we turn ourselves into Israelis while at the same time remaining in constant denial.
Kenya has millions of “soft targets” and as highly guarded top government officials continue to boast at Press conferences on the successes of the government on containing Al-Shabbab, innocent Kenyans will continue to pay the ultimate price in life and blood as Al-Shabbab continues to strike, left right and centre. The truth is that top brass within the government may be safe from Al-Shabbab but the ordinary Mwananchi remains permanently a vulnerable target and many Kenyans may be waiting to run scared to death from building with guns blazing behind them Westgate style. That is, if you still don’t know the name of Mohammed’s mother which is Aminah Bint Wahhab Ibn Abd Manaf Ibn Zahrah. The questions above are for reflection and one can only hope that at the end of the Westgate ordeal, they shall have been answered.
Okoth Osewe
Kenya Stockholm Blog 
The fat guy in a pair of shorts is Kibaki’s son.
I think there is an eleventh question. Is it just me or is it not very apparent that effective and reputable medical services hospitals are exclusively in the hands of Indians? Guru Nanak, MP Shah and Aga Khan Hospitals offer above average medical attention, run and managed by the same people that have established these facilities. Even though they too are Kenyan Citizens and also have a stake in the welfare of the nation, they are not indigenous Kenyans. This is NOT in any way a slight to their ethnicity or an attempt to diminish their contribution to Kenya as citizens, but which other country has a minority of foreign extraction monopolizing such an important national sector? What does this say about us as Africans? Hospitals at the Provincial and district level, or is it County, like the Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi have deteriorated into holding areas for those destined to finally end up in the morgue. Chances of survival once admitted in these Hospitals are at an educated guess based on the mortality rate at a maximum of 5%. Foreigners and Kenyans of foreign extraction have decent living standards, education, housing, medical services (private of course!), transport (personal cars of course!), technological access; the list is endless. They are of course those Africans aka. Wabenzi or fat cats, an educated guess puts them at 35% of the population, who by virtue of position, greed, and or the simple ruthless exploitation of fellow Africans managed to ingrain themselves in this exclusive club of good living. Horrifyingly at least 60%, an educated guess also, of Kenyans indigenous peoples are have rudimentary living standards and almost nil access to services available to their brethren fate has ‘smiled’ upon. Surprisingly the majority of those that gave blood for the victims of the terror massacre are from this disfranchised majority. This is just pathetic!
Karen Hospital is owned by Kibaki’s personal physician, Dr Gikonyo and his wife.
Mr Obotes Question has been disturbing only few (Kenyans if any left with brain) In fact there are many foreigners when lands into this Fantastic Nation (Of BIG FIVE) where One may think you have landed to a Country where there is development and the Welfare of Natives is super! But once you Land to this Nation of Hakuna Matata! and where the 40 million Natives has been Programmed in their minds to sing a very funny (kasuku) Parrotting song) Ati NAJIVUNIA KUWA MKENYA) yaani every Native of Kenya is taught to memorize this Rotten Capitalist ) Traitors Slogan That I AM PROUD TO BE A KENYAN) Yet the Idiots singing this famous song sleeps hungry, goes naken, spends the whole queeing at JOMO-KENYATTA REFERRAL HOSPITAL without seeing (or) meeting a Doctor)Their babies die on this unfinished Long (Mustali) when ASIANS/EUROPEANS /ARABS/ own Special Hospitals that are protected by fear-less germany shephard dogs ,Watchmen ,security guards ready to kill a kenyan native trying to seek help from these well equipped MUHINDI /MSUNGU Hospitals. What worries me is Why in a Country run by western Educated elites has blind eyes? who cannot see the oppression and exploitation of Kenya Natives (people) by Foreigners? The Kenya mass.media has been compromissed by any regime in Power But Uhuru Kenyatta govt hasby-passed all past regimes hence he is a wanted criminal in Hague. And Uhuru will do everything in his Power to evade justice in Hague>Why was Uhuru Kenyatta seen side by side with Raila Oginga hardly an hour has passed when Uhuru kenyatta was adressing wakenya that he 6 Ruto will rule kenya for another 20 years without interaption?
let every man and woman wait the Wester Nations that lost their families and other loved ones investigate (the Kenya terrorist attack) hence UK/EU/Israel/Canada/France has enough evidence and commands skills in fighting terrorism,they controls satelites/and any other modern technics in the air, Sea, and Land .llistening devices, eavedrops etc etc Let us wait and see how Uhuru&company can deceive the world of today Just to save his ass from the Hague!The west should not fail or forget the threats directed to western Countries especially UK/USA/EU/etc from Kibaki govt to Uhuru Kenyatta ever since he was rigged in a well organized rigging election in kenya.How Ministers (Mutula Kilonzo was Fired from Justice minister and replaced for insisting Criminals suspects cannot be allowed to contest before being cleared by the kenyan courts. The next Mutula Kilozo died misteriously ,to this day nobody/no repprt of who poisoned him?
Saitoti also met his death 8misteriously from (a well organized Helicopter crash) my ass!To day Saitotis wife was silenced to this day never to ask her lovely husband the minister ) Mafia ruling class in Kenya only be crashed by the Most civilized and democratic western Nations If there is Will! We know their intrests in kenya;But as long as there is no peace/security /no body can invest in a hostile territory , Uhuru/Ruto regime Must be thouroughly investigated from (this stage managed) terrorism attack which is very questionable from start to finish! .
The richest indigenous Kenyans come from Muranga. Muranga is the home area of the late Mr John Njoroge Michuki who owned Windsor hotels, Mr Stanley Nyindo Matiba who owns allinace hotels and elite private schools, the late Mzee Kirima who owned most buildings in the third world of Nairobi which is anything East of Tom Mboya street. The likes of Jimna Mbaru and Mr S.K. Macharia of Citizen radio. Kenyans know that Muranga folks are frugal and mbesha. The late Mr Philip Ndegwa was from Kirinyaga. He was CEO of Kenya Commercial Bank(KCB) and Governor Centaral Bank of kenya. Among his property is ICEA building opposite the Ugandan embassy on Kenyatta Avenue. Although not perhaps richer than the Kenyatta family and Mr Moi who openly looted pubic funds.
There is something wrong with these 42 or more Kenya tribes becouse in this country poverty collectively primitivity of all tribes, the brainwashing of wakenya.forexample why has Masai-tribe keep quiet when Kikuyus has occupied Masai-land from Ngon’g to Loitoktok /Naivasha /Maai -Maheo yet all Masai (hopeless sell-outs) keeps of Boot-licking Kikuyu Leaders without resistanceor armed resurrections (waging Guerrilla wars) to liberate Masai-land? That is one example North Eastern /Coast /and other parts of Kenya has the same land problems etc-This collective amnesia in every tribe is a serious desease that affects wakenya collectifully the fear of death yet they are dying in many different ways like these daily road accidents(carnage) taking place daily in kenya yet each and every regime ignores , days ,month yrs without regime taking any drastic measures. Class-war(struggle)Problems in Kenya affects citizents) but not foreigners)Hence Foreigners Living in Kenya are westerners /Asians/Arabs/and who first and most has privilages in kenya be it security capital.financial institutes/banks/hospitals
body-guards .(apartheid in Kenya)Specia chauffor driven (SUV) vehicles .who live in segregated zones etc Yet Kenyans has failed miserably to organize resistance!
The role of religion brainwashed society/FM bourgeous mass media has been playing vital roles in making wakenya Zombies who cannot think otherwise but to wait for Messiah (who will come and save them from their earthly collevtive sins(oh my goshness)
The breathtaking story of Kenya’s eleven super-rich
Posted by: The People in Main storyJune 8, 20130
By GITAHI NGUNYI
The are just 11 but very, very rich. Their wealth at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) increased by Sh27 billion in slightly less than 12 months. Mark you, that is only wealth in shares listed in their names at the NSE. They have much more in shares not listed in their names, but under nominee accounts or through sister companies to ones listed at the stock market.
Yet, another huge chunk of their wealth is in firms they own but are not quoted at the NSE. It is also worth noting that there is an equal or slightly bigger number of Kenyans who are as wealthy, if not more endowed, than the 11, but whose wealth is largely unknown to the public as their companies or businesses are not listed at the NSE. Top in the rich list of those whose wealth is measurable, at least through the NSE, is his Highness The Aga Khan who alone scooped Sh17 billion of the Sh27 billion.
Next is the family of the late Philip Ndegwa, at Sh3 billion, a former entrepreneur per excellence whose estate stands solid in real estate, banking and other investment. Then follows Dr James Mwangi of Equity Bank and Chris Kirubi who made Sh2 billion and Sh1.41 billion, respectively. The family of retired President Daniel arap Moi and businessman-cum-politician Jimnah Mbaru, just shied off the billion mark, to have their listed wealth at the NSE increase by Sh800 million apiece.
Close in tow are businessmen Peter Munga, Naushad Merali, Ashok Shah and insurance executive, Benson Wairegi, whose wealth increased by Sh620 million, Sh400 million, Sh400 million and Sh380 million, respectively. The Somen family, with their vast interests in provision of Internet services and banker Gideon Muriuki closed the super rich list with gains of Sh300 million and Sh216 million, respectively. The Aga Khan, who is the spiritual leader of the Ismailia community, made his wealth through his investments in the media, banking, insurance and hospitality.
He is the single largest investor at the NSE with majority shareholding in the media giant, Nation Media Group (NMG), TPS East Africa which runs the Serena chain of hotels, Jubilee Insurance and the Diamond Trust Bank. The NMG, by far the largest listed of the Aga Khan’s commercial interests in East Africa, had a market value of Sh48.5 billion by close of business at the NSE on Wednesday. Aga Khan’s stake at the company is 44.66 percent where his shares are held under the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development
The Aga Khan
Over the 12 month period, his wealth in the company grew by Sh10.1 billion from Sh11.64 billion to Sh21.75 billion as the company’s share moved from Sh166 to Sh312. In Tourism Promotion Services (TPS) East Africa, a holding company that has in its stable 21 hospitality establishments (13hotels and eight lodges) marketed through Serena Hotel and Lodges brand name, his wealth grew by Sh657 million from Sh3.1billion to Sh3.7billion. His shares in TPS East Africa are held through Aga Khan Economic Fund for Development, Industrial Promotion Services, Aga Khan University Investments, Property Development and Management (PDM) Holding, and Craysell Investment. In Diamond Trust Bank, his shares are held under Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, Habib Bank, Craysell Investment and PDM Holding. In the past 12 months, his wealth in the bank grew by Sh4.9 billion from 6.7billion to 11.68 billion. In Jubilee Insurance, where his shares are held under Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, his wealth grew by Sh1.9 billion from Sh4.09 billion to Sh6 billion.
Ndegwa family
Though heavy investors in a wide range of sectors: from farming, shipping, real estate and insurance, the family of the late Philip Ndegwa are in the securities market only through the National Industrial Credit (NIC) bank. The family’s shares in the NIC are held through First Chartered Securities Ltd and ICEA Assets Management Ltd whose directors are the late Ndegwa sons, James and Andrew. In the past one year, the Ndegwas wealth grew by Sh2.84 billion from Sh4.6 billion to Sh7.46 billion.
Dr James Mwangi
With a 3.45 per cent shareholding, Dr Mwangi is the biggest individual investor in Equity Bank. In the period under consideration, his wealth in the bank grew by Sh1.81 billion from Sh2.64billion to Sh4.46billion. The Equity Bank boss is also one of the biggest shareholders in life insurance firm, Britam, where his wealth grew by Sh187.5 million from Sh438.7million to 626.2million.
Chris Kirubi
The industrialist and media owner’s investment in the NSE is through the Centum group. He was also the third largest shareholder in the Kenya Power company but has since sold his shares to Mama Ngina Kenyatta. In Centum, Kirubi’s investment grew by Sh1.41 billion while his worth in Kenya Power grew by Sh39 million to Sh269.9 million from Sh230.9 million.
Moi family
Former President Moi’s most visible investments at the NSE are in Standard Chartered Bank and the Standard Media Group. In Standard Chartered where his shareholding is held under Kabarak Ltd, his wealth grew by Sh387.7million from Sh568.8million to Sh956.5million. In the Standard Media Group where his shares are held under SNG (Standard Newspaper Group) holdings, his investments increased by Sh409million from Sh1.297billion to Sh1.7billion.
Jimnah Mbaru
Mbaru’s flagship business is the securities brokerage firm, Dyer and Blair. He is also a major shareholder in Britam and Transcentury Group where his wealth grew by Sh690.5 million. In Britam, his investments grew by Sh548.2 million from Sh1.28 billion to Sh1.83 billion, while in Transcentury his wealth increased by Sh145.2million from Sh581million to Sh726 million.
Peter Munga
The Equity Bank founder chairs the bank’s board where he is listed among the top 10 largest stock owners with a 0.61 per cent shareholding. In Equity, his wealth grew by Sh319.4million from Sh465million to Sh784 million while he increased his worth in Britam by Sh187.5million from Sh438.7million to Sh626million.
Benson Wairegi
The chief executive of Britam, Wairegi, joined the firm fresh from university rising up to his current position. He is one of the biggest shareholders in both Britam and Equity Bank where his wealth increased by Sh380million. In Britam, his investments increased by Sh250.7million from Sh586.7million to Sh837.4million while his Equity Bank stake increased by Sh129.3million to Sh317.6million from Sh186.3million.
Naushad Merali
He is the Kenyan version of US investment guru Warren Buffet with a knack for striking business deals while they are hot. Merali’s investments at the NSE are spread across agricultural, automobile and manufacturing sectors. His controlling interests are in Sasini Tea and Coffee, tyre manufacturer Sameer Africa and battery manufacturer Eveready East Africa. Through the three companies, Merali’s fortune grew by Sh431.7million. In Sasini, his investments which are held through Legend Investment, Yana Towers and East Africa Batteries grew by Sh246million from Sh1.477billion to Sh1.723billion while in Sameer Africa his wealth grew Sh119.4million to Sh844.4million from Sh724.9million. In Eveready East Africa where his shares are held under East Africa batteries, his investments grew by Sh66million.
Somen Family
The Somen family came to the limelight when it listed Access Kenya, a communication company that sells corporate bandwidth, small offices and up market homes across the country. The company has been in the news lately following a bid by South Africa firm, Dimension Data PLC, to buy all the 218 million shares in the company. Somen family’s shares in Access Kenya are held separately by three members of the family, the patriarch Michael Somen, and his two sons Jonathan and David. Jonathan, the company’s managing director, is the majority shareholder followed by David and his father in that order. Their wealth increased by Sh323.6million in the last 12 months. Jonathan’s worth in the company increased by Sh181.3million from Sh172million to Sh353.3million while David’s grew by Sh78million from Sh74million to Sh152million.Michael’s worth grew by Sh64.3million from Sh61million to Sh125.3million.
Ashok Shah
The founder of APA Insurance firm is one of the major players in both general and life insurance. His investments in NSE are spread across automotive, commercial, banking and insurance. His name features among the top shareholders in CMC Motor Group, Barclays Bank, Kenya Airways, and Pan Africa Life Insurance where his investments grew by Sh26.1 million. In Barclays Bank, his wealth grew by Sh2.4million from Sh6.1million to Sh8.6million, while in Pan Africa Life his portfolio gained by Sh39.6million.
Simbo Peter
The owner of The Chase Hotels, Gateway Prosthetics and Orthotics is one of the major stake holders in the Hotel industry in Sub Saharan Africa and Italy. As one of the major players in hotel and hospitality industry. His investments are spread across the country. His name features among the top shareholders in The National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) . In Banks, his wealth grew by Sh73.1 million.
osewe, you are so brilliant.
http://www.kenyan-post.com/2013/09/railas-cord-attacks-ruto-for.html
Mama looks Somali Just a Mother Perhaps Bandi’s Mama !who will listen to him where terrorists were changing clothes and when pointed by eye-witnesses the corrupt Police ignored everything >Were some Corrupt Police men involved (bribed) by terrorist and allowed (let) the free!????>Hapa Iko Kitu Gami>
17 October 2011 Last updated at 13:19 GMT
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Kenya’s incursion into Somalia raises the stakes
By Will Ross
East Africa correspondent, BBC News Kenyan troops are searching for aid workers believed to have been kidnapped by al-Shabab
Continue reading the main story Related StoriesKenya tightens tourism security [/news/world-africa-15238831] French woman kidnapped in Kenya [/news/world-africa-15135544] Kidnapped Briton ‘held by pirates’ [/news/world-africa-15011911]
“Kenya Troops Off To War”, screamed the headline in Kenya’s Daily Nation newspaper.
Kenya has in the past trained Somali troops for deployment near the border to create a buffer zone in an effort to keep al-Shabab militants away, but the presence of Kenyan soldiers inside Somalia has always been played down or even flatly denied.
The very public announcement of this incursion into Somalia by the Kenyan army and air force is a significant change of policy, which seems at least partly aimed at sending a message to the Kenyan people and the rest of the world that the issue of security is being taken seriously.
“Our territorial integrity is threatened with serious security threats of terrorism. We cannot allow this to happen at all,” Kenya’s Internal Security Minister George Saitoti told the media.
“It means we are now going to pursue the enemy, who are the al-Shabab, to wherever they will be, even in their country.”
Continue reading the main story “Start QuoteMujahudeen fighters will force them to taste the pain of the bullets”
End Quote Al-Shabab official
The operation – unprecedented for Kenya’s largely inexperienced military – appears to have been triggered by the recent kidnappings of four foreign nationals and one Kenyan.
Two of them were taken on the north Kenyan coast and the others in the Dadaab refugee camp near the border.
There is, however, no concrete proof that these kidnappings were carried out by the Islamist insurgent group.
In an area plagued by guns and Somali bandits, blaming al-Shabab could be jumping to a convenient conclusion.
Some analysts think the military operation is not about rescuing the hostages but is actually about securing the border
Going after a group linked to al-Qaeda and which is on the US terror list is an easier sell to the public than chasing bandits inside Somalia.
‘Excuse they need’
The verbal response from al-Shabab was swift.
MSF worker Montserrat Serra was abducted along with her colleague, Blanca Thiebaut
“Mujahideen fighters will force them to taste the pain of the bullets,” an al-Shabab official said, after the Kenyan incursion was made public.
For ordinary Kenyans there is some concern that, should the military get embroiled deeper in Somalia’s complicated war, it could make Kenya more of a target for groups like al-Shabab.
The fact that Uganda fell victim to deadly bombings last year for the role it has played with the African Union force in Somalia has not gone unnoticed.
“This Kenyan action may give the al-Shabab hardliners the excuse they needed to justify a strike against Kenya,” said Rashid Abdi, a Somalia analyst with the International Crisis Group.
Clearly the Kenyan government could not sit back and do nothing after the kidnappings but Kenyans hope this is a very short-term operation lasting maybe just a few days.
Somalia’s government troops, some trained by Kenya, have also been battling al-Shabab near the Kenyan Somali border and they do not want to be portrayed as impotent forces in need of foreign help.
With Ugandan and Burundian soldiers propping up the Somali government in the capital, Mogadishu, it is perhaps not surprising that Somali officials have been reluctant to admit that Kenyan troops have crossed the border to fight.
Another reason for disquiet among Somali officials is that Kenya has been assisting Somali efforts to establish a semi-autonomous region known as Jubaland or Azania.
The idea is that if a secure area can be established near the border, Kenya will be safer.
“The presence of foreign troops in that area will not go down well with some elements in Somalia who will not want the Azania project to be seen as a foreign initiative,” said Rashid Abdi.
The fighting will of course have an impact on Somali people trying to flee their country and seek refuge in Kenya from hunger and bullets.
Already facing terrifying journeys to make it over the border, the presence of more firepower from above and on the ground will only make those journeys harder.
Last week, 800 Somalis were reaching Dadaab every day.
Uhuru &Ruto Wame kamatwa Makende(The ICC got hold of their testicles>
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2013/09/nov-12-trial-date-wont-change-icc-tells-uhuru/
THE WHITE WIDOW’S POEM
Maybe Jannah Tomorrow?
I have been so sad and I’m wondering why
These black clouds over Kenya
Keeping swirling around over me
It’s a waste of time
And I’d rather be receiving my Shahada
Think I’ll get ready
And buy a vest
And know I’ll be free from the kuffar & Murtad
And meet my Sheikh (Aboud Rogo)
So maybe tomorrow it will be Jannah
I’ll find my way to Jannah
I look around at how beautiful Jihad is
It’s alive in Kenya
It’s alive in me
And I’m breathing Jihad
I wanna breeze in the Jihad atmosphere of Somalia
I wanna Shahada now
It’s my time
So maybe tomorrow it will be Jannah
I’ll find my way to Jannah
So maybe tomorrow it will be Jannah
I’ll find my way to Jannah
I ask Allah to grant me my wish soon to join my Sheikh Aboud Rogo soon!
.
The USA/EU/UK FRANCE etc should not allow Kenya corrupt Police-force to deceive them with their rubbish investigation >(1) this corrupt policeforce has resisted Reforms(2) The same Police Force is run by criminals hiding in uniforms The other day they sent a headof a man in a platter (packet) to their Civilian boss Kavulundi(3) they never arrest suspects that is how witness and underworld deals gone sour are solved killings after killings with impunity>Boyinet needs to return to NSIS clear out, reorganize the now moribund and hugely discredited intelligence apparatus. As the fog of war and the mist of death clears over Wastegate, Kenyans must ask difficult questions why our security institutions were allowed to rot like this. Those responsible for this rot must be made to account for their laxity. A few years back Jicho Pevu unearthed criminal elements within the Police force and implicated senior police officers in the planning and murder most foul of one of their own Augustine Chemorei (a serving distinguished GSU officer in broad day light) forcing his friend to feed on the dead mans brains. Today the culprits are still free, within the police force and no action has been taken. This is the kind of rot which has led us to West Gate. The current IG is not competent enough to reform the Police. Ever since he was appointed insecurity has run amok. It is time he take a walk and leave the service to serious policemen who have the interest of this country at heart.
Otieno Kajwang must also be made to account. Under his watch very many people of questionable nationalities were given passports. Artur brothers was another case in point. As long as our nationality and security apparatus is politicized and are on offer to the highest bidder, we shall never be safe. There will be many waste gates. We must reform these key institutions now and make the office holder to account for their actions or lack of if we are to restore the security and glory of Kenya.
http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/bestoftv/2013/09/24/kenya-mall-shooting-survivor-interview-mwangi-newday.cnn#/video/bestoftv/2013/09/24/kenya-mall-shooting-survivor-interview-mwangi-newday.cnn
its so interesting how some kenyans are talking about keeping the peace only showing positive pictures about the incident and even firing and lashing out at the few who were willing to face the fact that the situation was more intense than was being let on. at those preaching peace, there was no peace at westgate, at those preaching positiveity, there was nothing positive about the westgate attack, at those couragous enough to face facts kudos esp to fired nation editor at least one kenyan journalist proved not to be some stupid puppet. the harsh truth is what kenyans needed, right now pictures of what really happened at westgate are circulating on the net, and it is gruesome, but yes it happened and that is what should be kenya’s Wake up call.
there rae people asking for the hijab to be banned, they are the ones who know where a gun could be hidden, there are some asking for somalis to leave kenya, they know where terrorism is stemming from.
Kenyans are blindly burrying their heads in the sand on this matter. a few years ago kenyans massacred each other during post election violence, we are strong enough to murder each other but not strong enough to fight for somalis to leave kenya.
Kenyans must wake up and accept that while they were asleep thir country was stolen. we need to fight for it.
We cannot give you ahome and yet you willingly hide terrorists in your homes and mosques.
For as long as they are here we can be sure this will happen again.
kenyans are so afraid of the truth and that is why the real issues will never be adressed.
How Kenya Defence Force brought terrorists down
Updated Tuesday, September 24th 2013 at 23:39 GMT +3
By NYAMBEGA GISESA
NAIROBI; KENYA: On Monday morning, an unknown number of terrorists holding an unidentified number of hostages at the Westgate Mall started with prayers early as 6am, and chants of “Allahu Akbar.â€
Except for a sporadic exchange of gunfire with security forces, hours passed as anxiety among families waiting for their loved ones to be released piled up until afternoon, when the terrorists noticed helicopters hovering in the air.
The terrorists, whose tactics involved a suicide-cum-mass casualty attack in response to the sight of helicopters, started shooting at surviving hostages and throwing them off the building.
 The Kenya Defence Force (KDF) was initially unsure of how to respond. Although they had surrounded the mall, they did not know the number of militants or even the remaining number of hostages.
Initial attacks were chaotic as the chain of command between the police and military not only worsened things but also resulted in the military shooting dead a General Service Unit commander.
The Standard has established that the attack was preceded by months of tactical reconnaissance, a well-done study of the layout of the building and the terrorists reportedly operating a shop at the mall and living in a rented apartment nearby.
When the KDF soldiers pushed into the building, one of the terrorists blew himself up, leading to a huge fire that caught parts of the building, especially the Nakumatt supermarket. The terrorists then started burning mattresses and throwing them to lowers floors, resulting in heavy smoke.
After some time, the roof and parts of the supermarket began caving in, trapping the hostages.
“We received a call to go and put out the fire,†a Nairobi City Council firefighter said. “We feared for our lives but the soldiers assured us of our safety.â€
The firefighter said he heard several women wailing as a result of the smoke. By Monday evening, the troops had surrounded the basement, first, second and last floors of the mall. “However the heavy smoke forced us to retreat,†one of the soldiers said.
Meanwhile, a massacre of hostages was also taking place.
As Monday night set in, drivers of vehicles including those of the police, military, ambulances and fire brigade were ordered to move them away from the besieged mall.
This reporter, who remained awake the entire night, was busy tracking every step of the operation.
At 1am, the first military trucks with additional troops moved slowly and quietly towards the mall. It was followed later by a pick-up truck. There was no more vehicle movement towards the besieged mall for the rest of the night.
At 3am, the troops started rehearsing for the final assault, braving a drizzle. The final assault started at about 5.45. When the attack started, the terrorists are said to have concentrated on killing as many hostages as possible.
Positioned snipers
At the front of the building, the terrorists are said to have positioned snipers and booby-trapped the entrance. KDF decided to launch an attack from various sides of the building. By the time the KDF men were going in, they claimed that four of their men had been killed and seven injured. The military has not officially confirmed this.
Since they did no real-time intelligence on where the terrorists were, they adopted a shoot-to-kill strategy. “Our orders were to shoot and kill anyone who looked like a terrorist,†a soldier told us.
KDF men moved quickly to take control from the ground floors until the third floor, where they faced heavy resistance leading to the use of artillery. As early as 7.08am, about an hour after the start of the assault, KDF had taken over the first, second and third floors. At 7.57, two big fire engines moved towards the mall.
There was a sporadic exchange of fire going on for a while. By 8.45am, KDF was yet to gain control of the fourth floor.
Almost one and a half hours later, KDF managed to take over control of the whole mall after reportedly shooting all the terrorists.
At 11.42am, two Indian men carrying heavy suitcases were escorted out from the side of the mall. Five minutes later, military trucks and Land Rovers started arriving at the mall.
At about 11.50am, we noted the first 30SF Battalion and 20 Para men coming out of the mall having completed the job.
“Kenya is a country where if there is a road accident and victims are bleeding to death… Wananchi will run to the accident scene to steal from the victims instead of helping them to the nearest hospital..”
Late Martin Shikkuku
Revealed: The secrets of the Artur brothers
Updated Saturday, May 26th 2012 at 00:00 GMT +3
In a special report timed to coincide with the latest installment of the KTN investigation into drug trafficking, we unveil some of the untold secrets of the so-called Armenian mercenaries
Last year, KTN’s investigations team produced a daring expose of the cover-up that followed the seizure of Kenya’s largest ever cocaine haul in December 2004. In a series of television features tagged ‘Paruwanja la Mihadarati’ (Jicho Pevu) and ‘The Untouchables’ (Inside Story), the teams looked at the events surrounding the discovery of tonnes of cocaine in Malindi and Nairobi.
KTN Senior Investigative Editor MOHAMMED ALI and Senior Investigative Reporter DENNIS ONSARIGO disclosed how several tonnes of the cocaine went missing, how key suspects were allowed to escape and how two State prosecutions were deliberately mishandled.
They also shone a light on the drastic lengths to which Kenya’s drug barons and their friends in high places go to ensure their secrets remain protected. At least four police officers and one spy investigating or connected to drug-related cases have been killed in mysterious circumstances, the team reported.
The police dismissed this as “alarmist†or false reporting. However, they are yet to explain the five killings cited in the report adequately. Three of the killings were apparently extra-judicial murders by fellow police officers.
The February 2005 execution of General Service Unit adjutant Erastus Chemorei, for instance, has since been declared an illegal police killing by an inquest in Eldoret. Video evidence being held by the police can also prove conclusively that Administration Police officers Badi Mwajirani and Juma Mwagaatu were unlawfully killed in the manner reported by Ali and Onsarigo, vindicating KTN’s bold reporting.
Now, in a special report that began airing yesterday, Ali and Onsarigo hunt down the powerful forces that orchestrated the massive cover up.
To accompany their special reports, The Standard On Saturday and The Standard On Sunday will publish several supporting features on the saga, as well as on the latest revelations.
To get a full picture of this explosive investigation, watch ‘Paruwanja la Mihadarati’ and ‘The Untouchables’ on KTN during the Kiswahili and English language news bulletins.
By STANDARD ON SATURDAY TEAM, MOHAMMED ALI and DENNIS ONSARIGO
The foreign mercenaries whose activities infuriated Kenyans in early 2006 were brought into the country by rogue Government officials in response to the dramatic seizure of 1.1 metric tonnes of cocaine 15 months earlier, it has emerged.
The men were allegedly recruited to set up and train a specialised anti-narcotics unit. Publicly purporting to be investors and privately passing as security consultants, the foreigners — known locally as the ‘Artur brothers’ — have since been unmasked by multiple sources as impostors.
More than one source suggests the State was tricked into hiring enforcers working for drug traffickers who wanted to recover the Sh6.4 billion worth of cocaine being held in Kenya. The hired guns failed to complete their task after they were publicly exposed following their March 2, 2006, raid on the Standard Group. This was a bungled operation ordered on the strength of false information about an alleged story linking powerful individuals to drug trafficking in Kenya. No such story existed.
In the weeks after their presence became public, speculation about their true mission included accusations they were part of an assassination squad targeting several political figures. There was even a claim Opposition leaders had hired the men and should be arrested on treason charges. A security scare at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport about 12 weeks after the Standard raid finally saw the men kicked out of the country and disowned by State officials as “international criminalsâ€.
Secret unit
The claims that the Arturs were forming a secret CID unit were first reported in confidential diplomatic cables in 2006 as uncorroborated information from a local politician. Kenya Police and Government officials have denied this, insisting the foreigners had forged police identification papers. However, investigations by Standard Group journalists show key State agents and politically connected people had a hand in bringing the men to Kenya and embedding several of them as senior police officers in the Criminal Investigations Department. This is why they received help and protection from various State agents who believed they were in Kenya on legitimate, Government-sanctioned operations.
This was also why an April 2006 meeting chaired by former Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura and attended by top security officials decided to take no action over the mercenaries despite an NSIS report that suggested they were drug dealers.
For about three months, the so-called Artur brothers had free run of Nairobi police stations from which they took vehicle number plates with which to disguise their unit’s cars. One of them even visited the secure installation where the 1,141kg of cocaine was being stored until two cases in court were completed.
Soldiers of fortune
The man who appeared to be their leader has been videotaped saying he was hired to set up a secret police unit to deal with drug trafficking using foreign “soldiers of fortuneâ€. Artur Margaryan, who uses a false name, says this was why he was appointed a deputy police commissioner, serving under then CID boss Joseph Kamau. In a recent interview conducted via the online video-call service Skype, Mr Margaryan described the men he brought into the country as “Russian instructors†meant to train Kenyan law enforcement officials on tackling drug-related crime. He claims they were hired legally to set up a unit inside the CID that would tackle organised crime.
Margaryan is not considered a reliable source, having lied publicly about his dealings with key opposition figures. The false allegations he made at press conferences in 2006 were part of a strategy to distract attention from other accusations being made against him.
However, his claims of a secret unit echo remarks allegedly made by a senior opposition figure in March 2006 in a conversation with American diplomats in Nairobi.
A US diplomatic cable leaked by the Wikileaks whistle-blowing site claims the former minister said a prominent political activist and her allies at State House and in the Police force had attempted to set up a secret unit in the CID. These are the same people Margaryan names as his local contacts.
We could not determine whether Margaryan has read the diplomatic cable, which is available online.
The report of a joint parliamentary team investigating the Artur saga named Narc activist Mary Wambui, then CID boss Joseph Kamau and former Special Advisor to the President Stanley Murage as key players in the Artur saga. Also named was the Internal Security minister at the time, John Michuki. Both Kamau and Murage, said to be allies of Wambui, were shunted out of their positions after the Artur saga exploded into the public domain.
Enforcers
Our investigations have identified at least six accomplices of the so-called ‘Artur brothers’ who entered Kenya around 2006. Like Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan, some of the six men used several false names and travel documents to move in and out of the country when conducting their activities.
Most were from Eastern bloc or former Soviet Union countries and have been described by American diplomats as being possibly Russians, Bosnians or Ukrainians.
Other sources say the men were enforcers for the Russian mafia, which has been linked to the drug trade in Latin America and is made up of criminals from Eastern bloc nations. The Arturs themselves insist they are Armenian nationals, a matter that is the subject of debate.
Two or more of these men were allowed to remain in the country after the Government staged a fake deportation to get rid of four of them.
Mr Richard Nerima, a former police officer who was then working for the Artur’s local contact, businessman Rajendra Sanghani, recently told KTN’s investigative team he counted eight men in the group, including the two ‘brothers’.
Reports from two official investigations into the activities of the group show the eight men used as many as 16 different names on fake documents from several countries to hide their identities. Some of the names and travel documents were shared between several people.
Fake deportation
The parliamentary report also concluded that then Immigration minister Gideon Konchellah was involved in staging a fake deportation of Margaryan, Sargasyan, Dmitri Taschi and Alexander Pack on Mr Michuki’s instructions.
The circumstances around the ‘deportation’ suggest the men were helped to flee to Dubai after the airport gun incident that sparked calls for their arrest. Two Tanzanian men hired as bodyguards for the group, identified as Lucas Makena and Nobert Ntwenya, were escorted to the Namanga border point and allowed to leave. Shifana Alarakya, the Kenyan woman found in the Runda house, has never been charged as a suspect or accomplice in any crime. Neither have Aloise Omita, Julius Maina and Raju Sanghani, three Kenyans who they relied upon for various facilitation services.
The fate of at least three other men who were in the group remains a mystery. Nyarkashan Trenor, Manish Yadav and Aman Qureshi vanished into thin air after the alleged deportation of the Arturs.
The question of where these mercenaries came from has also never been answered. While they claimed to be Armenians, their suspect travel documents linked them to Russia and Moldovia. Government officials allowed the group to use obviously fake papers to avoid a paper trail that would help unmask them.
Responding to a question in Parliament a month after the Arturs led a raid on the Standard Group, Mirugi Kariuki, an assistant minister in the Office of the President, claimed the Armenian Government had confirmed Margaryan and Sargasyan were Armenian citizens. Konchellah later claimed they were Czechs.
Both these statements have since been proven false.
Responding to questions from KTN’s Mohammed Ali and Dennis Onsarigo via Skype from Dubai, Artur Margaryan insisted he was Armenian and had been hired legally to help the police track down drug traffickers. He claims he had been prepared to provide evidence to the public inquiries into the matter but was prevailed upon by Mr Murage not to do so. Murage ended a phone interview with Ali and Onsarigo before he could be asked about this.
The former Special Advisor to the President is one of several people whose connections with the group Parliament wants investigated. A report prepared by a joint team co-chaired by Mr Paul Muite and Mr Ramadhan Kajembe also wanted to look into the roles played by then Internal Security minister John Michuki (now deceased), Francis Muthaura, Mary Wambui, Winnie Wangui, Raju Sanghani and Kamlesh Pattni.
No public action has been taken to pursue this line of thinking. As a result, those named remain the beneficiaries of an embarrassed Government’s reluctance to shine a light on one of the more bizarre incidents in Kenya’s security history.
Additional reporting by the ‘Standard On Saturday’ team and the Standard Group’s Convergence Desk. Mohammed Ali is a Senior Investigative Editor with KTN, the broadcasting arm of The Standard Group. Dennis Onsarigo is an Investigative Reporter with KTN.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/2013/09/25/325924/alshabab-claims-140-killed-at-mall-raid/
This is totally truth!
The ISRAELIS /UK/USA/CANADA Should investigate What Hon: Sonko Aka Buvi is telling the People of Kenya and the World Hence Sonko is a Uhuru supporter and this terrorist attack has been pointing as super Plan organized by Uhuruaka mafias to avoid and escape the ICC on going case in Hague> It doesn’t matter Uhuru Kenyatta lost his nephews Criminals are known to sacrifice their children and members of their families to retain Power >
http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-137211/i-told-nis-attack-says-sonko
senators Yusuf Haji, Kithure Kindiki and Mohammed Kuti Must be investigated seriously becouse they are well known Ati -America(USA) and with their well documented quotations/Statements, both in Public places and in their secret meetings( Yusuf Haji ) a former Defence minister in Kibaki govt is a questionable character (nsis(insiders( report)Kikthure Kindiki the most silly Anti American and a Gema -Uhuru defender avery arrogant stupid guy, Mohamed Kuti Uhuru blind aka MoshavimReshef when it comes supporting their King!CIA&FBI should go deep in their investigation and should not allow them to be dictated by Uhuruto/aka Gichangi corrupt (CHINESE MOLES) We know Nsis is protected by Chinese security !Chinese has taken security roles during Kibaki and Uhuru since he too over from Kibaki) It is chinese telling Uhuru govt not to allow USA to offer help to this terrorist attack.
Neclophilia people who sexes dead-bodies >Kweli Policemen are corrupt to the core>
http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Officer-denies-stealing-from-Westgate-victims/-/1056/2006418/-/oc9y3bz/-/index.html
Nairobi Westgate Mall Attack: Canada’s Contribution to Violence in Africa
By Yves Engler
Global Research, September 30, 2013
There are no shades of grey, no nuance or even cause and effect in the simplistic world view proclaimed by the current Canadian government.
The Conservatives’ response to the horrific attack in Nairobi’s Westgate Mall has been to thump their chests and proclaim their anti-terror bona fides.
“The fight against international terrorism is the great struggle of our generation, and we need to continue with the resolve to fight this,” bellowed Foreign Minister John Baird. For his part, Stephen Harper boasted that “our government is the government that listed al-Shabab as a terrorist entity.”
But the prime minister has ignored the fact that his government also played a small role in the growth and radicalization of the organization responsible for this terrible crime in Kenya.
After the failed US invasion of Somalia in the early 1990s (Black Hawk Down) American forces once again attacked that country in December 2006.
After the Islamic Courts Union won control of Mogadishu and the south of the country from an assortment of warlords, American forces launched air attacks and 50,000 Ethiopian troops invaded Somalia. According to a cable released by Wikileaks, the US under secretary of state for Africa, Jendayi Frazer, pressed Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi to intervene.
Ottawa supported this aggression in which as many as 20,000 Somalis were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced. Throughout 2007 and 2008 when the US launched periodic airstrikes and Ethiopian troops occupied Somalia, Ottawa added its military presence.
At various points during 2008, HMCS Calgary, HMCS Iroquois, HMCS Charlottetown, HMCS Protecteur, HMCS Toronto and HMCS Ville de Québec all patrolled off the coast of Somalia. In the summer of 2008 Canada took command of NATO’s Task Force 150 that worked off the coast of Somalia.
The Conservatives’ public comments on Somalia broadly supported Ethiopian/US actions. They made no criticism of the US bombings and when prominent Somali-Canadian journalist Ali Iman Sharmarke was assassinated in Mogadishu in August 2007 then foreign minister Peter Mackay only condemned “the violence” in the country. He never mentioned that the assassins were pro-government militia members with ties to Ethiopian troops.
The Conservatives backed a February 2007 UN Security Council resolution that called for an international force in Somalia. They also endorsed the Ethiopia-installed Somali government, which had operated in exile. A February 2007 Foreign Affairs release noted: “We welcome Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed’s announcement to urgently convene a national reconciliation congress involving all stakeholders, including political, clan and religious leaders, and representatives of civil society.” In April 2009 the Somali transitional government’s minister of diaspora affairs and ambassador to Kenya were feted in Ottawa.
Supported by outsiders, the transitional government had little backing among Somalis. AnOxfam report explained: “The TFG [transitional federal government] is not accepted as legitimate by much of the population. Unelected and widely perceived as externally imposed through a process that sidelined sub-national authorities and wider civil society, the transitional federal institutions face strong allegations of corruption and aid diversion.”
In maybe the strongest signal of Canadian support for the outside intervention, Ottawa did not make its aid to Ethiopia contingent on its withdrawal from Somalia. Instead they increased assistance to this strategic ally that borders Sudan and Somalia. Among CIDA’s largest recipients, Ethiopia received about $150 million annually in Canadian aid from 2008 to 2011.
Aid to Ethiopia was controversial and not only because that country invaded and occupied its neighbour. An October 2010 Globe and Mail headline noted: “Ethiopia using Canadian aid as a political weapon, rights group says.”
In early 2009 Ethiopian troops withdrew from Somalia (they reinvaded in late 2011 and some 8,000 Ethiopian troops continue to occupy parts of the country). The Conservatives helped the multi-country African Union force that replaced the Ethiopian troops. “Canada is an active observer in the (African Union) and provides both direct and indirect support to the [Somalia] mission,” explained a heavily censored June 2012 government briefing obtained by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act.
In 2011 Ottawa contributed $5.8 million US towards logistical support for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) while in February 2012 Canada announced a $10 million contribution for the deployment of a Ugandan Formed Police Unit to Somalia. “Indirectly, Canada is engaged in training initiatives through (Directorate of Military Training and Co-operation) to enable (African Union) troop contributing nations through the provision of staff and peace support operations,” noted the above-mentioned internal briefing.
The US paid, trained and armed most of AMISOM. In July 2012 the Los Angeles Times reported: “The U.S. has been quietly equipping and training thousands of African soldiers to wage a widening proxy war against the Shabaab. … Officially, the troops are under the auspices of the African Union. But in truth … the 15,000-strong force pulled from five African countries is largely a creation of the State Department and Pentagon, trained and supplied by the U.S. government and guided by dozens of retired foreign military personnel hired through private contractors.”
In October 2011 thousands of Kenyan troops invaded Somalia and they remain in the country under AMISOM. “Kenya, in many ways, was simply carrying out the West’s bidding,” noted a recent Globe and Mail editorial.
Al Shabab claims its killing of shoppers and mall workers in Nairobi was a response to Kenya’s military invasion of Somalia. Since the Ethiopia/US invasion in late 2006 the group has waged a violent campaign against the foreign forces in the country and Somalia’s transitional government. During this period al Shabab has grown from being the relatively small youth wing of the Islamic Courts Union to the leading oppositional force in the country. It has also radicalized. Rob Wise, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, notes that Ethiopia’s occupation of Somalia transformed al Shabab into, “the most powerful and radical armed faction in the country.”
Al Shabab has turned from being a national organization towards increasing ties to Al Qaeda. In July 2010 the group pulled off its first major international attack when it killed 74 in Kampala in response to Uganda’s occupation of Somalia.
Canada’s support for foreign intervention in Somalia has not gone unnoticed. When a group calling themselves Mujahedin of Somalia abducted a Canadian and Australian in October 2008 they accused Canada and Australia of “taking part in the destruction of Somalia.” They demanded a change in policy from these two countries. Similarly, in October 2011 an al Shabaab official cited Canada as one of a handful of countries that deserved to be attacked.
Portrayed by Washington and Ottawa as simply a struggle against Islamic terrorism, the intervention in Somalia was driven by geopolitical and economic considerations. A significant amount of the world’s goods, notably oil from the Persian Gulf, pass along the country’s 1,000-mile coastline and whoever controls this territory is well placed to exert influence over this shipping.
There are also oil deposits in the country. A February 2012 Observer headline noted: “Why defeat of Al Shabaab could mean an oil bonanza for western firms in Somalia.” With plans to invest more than $50 million, Vancouver-based Africa Oil began drilling an exploratory well in northern Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region at the start of 2012. This was the first significant oil drilling in Somalia in two decades. The Canadian company didn’t escape the eye of Al Shabaab. A Twitter post from the group’s press office called Africa Oil’s contracts “non-binding”. “Western companies must be fully aware that all exploration rights and drilling contracts in N. Eastern Somalia are now permanently nullified”, the group’s spokesperson wrote. In an interview with Maclean’s Africa Oil CEO Keith Hill acknowledged the “significant” security risks and costs for their operations in Somalia but he noted the rarity of a “billion-barrel oil field.”
The 2006 US/Ethiopia invasion of Somalia has spiraled into ever more foreign intervention/local radicalization, which has caused a great deal of human suffering. This destructive cycle needs to be broken.
If the Conservatives have any concern for the people of Somalia — and neighbouring countries — they’d stop their anti-terror chest thumping and end their contributions to this violent cycle.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/nairobi-westgate-mall-attack-canadas-contribution-to-violence-in-africa/5352233
Muhamad Kamau maina @kamau_muhamad 6h
Recce squad commander challenged #KDF looting at #Westgate He was shot in the head there and then
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Muhamad Kamau maina @kamau_muhamad 6h
TRUE: So it was a party in #Westgate. Kdf drinking stolen wisky n shooting on the air as news reporters say westgate under siege. #kdf
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Muhamad Kamau maina @kamau_muhamad 7h
: KDF soldiers looted 2.5 m from barclays Bank. 3 million from dying Kenyans yet they manged to kill zero terrorists pic.twitter.com/lmawjdJVgX
View photo
Muhamad Kamau maina @kamau_muhamad 7h
#Westgate look a KDF caught by camera while looting the property of Kenyans.#KDF #KOT pic.twitter.com/rvL97dD23x
View photo
Muhamad Kamau maina @kamau_muhamad 30 Sep
people were fighting for their lives as KDF were making toasts at Art Caffe and looting the property of Kenyans #KeepingItKenyan
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Muhamad Kamau maina @kamau_muhamad 30 Sep
#KDF soldiers robbed the dead when they responded to the @HSM_PR attack at #westgate mall, Those bandits while they cowered away
Unanswered questions surround Kenya mall attack
By JACOB KUSHNER and JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press
Updated 11:55 am, Wednesday, October 2, 2013
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The Sept. 21 terrorist attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall produced a raft of questions that haven’t always had clear, complete answers. The answers to some questions about the attack have changed over time. Other questions haven’t yet been fully answered.
How many attackers were there? How many hostages? Were there any hostages at all? The Associated Press attempts to define what is known and not known about the deadly mall attack.
___
How many attackers took part in the Westgate attack?
What was said as the drama unfolded: Ten to 15 attackers, according to Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku the day after the attack.
What we know now: Officials now say five attackers have been killed, and other suspects have been arrested, including one who died in custody. Other arrests have been made though no top ranking officials have said if those suspects were inside the mall.
What remains murky: How many people may have been at the mall and part of the attack but fled before the protracted siege began.
___
Did a white female or any American citizens take part in the attack?
What was said: In a public address on the Tuesday after the attack, President Uhuru Kenyatta said a British woman and two or three American citizens may have been involved in the attack. Kenya’s foreign minister also had said a British citizen and some Americans may have taken part.
What we know now: Kenyan officials have since said no females took part, while U.S. officials have said they have no indications any Americans took part. No evidence that a white woman, namely Briton Samantha Lewthwaite, took part has emerged.
What remains murky: The rumors of American and British involvement appear to have begun when some media outlets reported a list of attackers from a fake al-Shabab Twitter account. Witness accounts of a woman taking part in the attack persist. No witnesses have come forward to say they saw Lewthwaite in action at the mall.
___
How many hostages did the attackers hold? Or, did they really hold any at all?
What was said: “Quite a number” of people were being held hostage, former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said the day after the attack. Kenya’s military said later that night that “most” hostages had been “rescued.”
What we know now: Not that much. No Kenyan officials have ever said how many people were hostages. It remains possible some hostages were killed in the fire and collapse of part of the mall, but government officials have indicated they don’t expect that number to be high, and that perhaps there were no hostages inside at all.
What remains murky: The definition of “hostage” and the definition of “rescued.” It’s not clear that the mall attackers held hostages in the conventional sense — tied up, gagged, sitting in a corner. It may be that any “hostages” who were “rescued” were really shoppers hiding out in the mall who later came out when it appeared safe.
___
Why did three floors of the mall collapse?
What was said: Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said on Twitter the mall fire was set by terrorists. Another official said a mattress fire contributed to the building’s collapse.
What we know now: AP has since been told by two government officials in a position to know that offensive military action by Kenyan forces caused the building to collapse, though no Kenyan government official has said so publicly.
What remains murky: Exactly what caused the collapse. AP was told that rocket-propelled grenades were fired inside the mall, but it’s not clear if those RPGs took out support columns that caused the collapse or if some other explosive device did — or if the fire caused the collapse.
___
How many people were killed?
What was said: At least 61 civilians were killed, among them 18 foreigners, as well as six security personnel. Kenyan officials have said they believe five attackers have also died.
What we know now: There were fears that the death toll would rise when dead hostages were found, but in recent days it appears less likely the toll will rise greatly because government officials now say few bodies are there.
What remains murky: Whether any civilian bodies remain at the scene and whether body parts removed from the mall on Oct. 2 belong to victims who were already included in the 61 civilian death toll.
___
How many people are missing?
What was said: Lenku has said no official reports of missing persons have been filed. On Sept. 24 Lenku told a news conference that an “insignificant number” of bodies remained in the mall.
What we know now: The latest number given by the Kenyan Red Cross is that 39 people have been reported missing, though even that information is now a couple days old and the Red Cross hasn’t given any recent updates and has refused to release names or other details.
What remains murky: Whether those believed missing were at Westgate the day of the attack, and whether any of their bodies remain at the scene.
https://www.opendata.go.ke/Counties/Poverty-Rates-by-County/z6za-e7yb
AL-HAMDU LILLAHI RABBIL ‘ALAMIN
20SundayOct 2013
Posted by abdiomar2013 in Uncategorized
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My name is Omar Abdi. I think Kenyans deserve to know the truth about what happened. I joined KDF in 2006 and has been posted to various missions and at the same time I was an Islamic fighter. I have also been paid to train Islamic fighters 2006 when we fought the Ethiopians for the Islamic courts union. We were paid directly a man called gabre halake, he is from Eritrea. At that time we were told the money was from Eritrea government. We were at a place called beledweyne and we could meet a man called indho ade for more money and guns. These we used to fight at Jilib. We sacrificed a lot but at that point, we lost contact with gabre halake and indho ade. Only sharif sheikh Ahmed could meet us at that time. We lost many fighters. Some of us foreign fighters left. I came back to Kenya together with a man named Abdi Wahid. We later learnt that sharif sheikh Ahmed came to Kenya and was arrested and guarded at a hotel. There is a time we visited him around late January in 2007 and he told us he would soon leave. Abdi Wahid, and a man named Farah Eyrow were there. It was hard for me because I was in the kdf and also paid to train Islamic fighters. Kenya was at that time viewed as sympathetic to Ethiopia. Three days later, sharif sheikh Ahmed left Kenya to Yemen. His release was easy because he had a lot of money and connections with senior Muslim officials n Kenya government. He was especially helped by a by powerful muslim lawyer in Kenya who organized the money for the police and court judges. Most of this money is from pirates and most of the time it is handled by this lawyer.
From this time until early 2009 I did not take part in any more fighting in Somalia. But I was in contact with the former Islamic fighters I had met there especially Abdi Wahid. I also again met sharif sheikh in 2009 when he was chosen as the president of the transitional government. I also met abdirahman janaqow who is from murusade clan where my wife is from. A man called Mohamed Qalaf was also there. I was requested to come back to Somalia to help set up a fighter group for the government under Hussein Isse.
When Ethiopia left Somalia, our fighting group was controlling much of the southern part of Somalia. There were several fights including outside Kenya. Some of our fighters lost their lives in Uganda in suicide missions. That’s the time Mohamud Raghe was in charge under Abu Zubeyr. Later Raghe also commanded fighters who killed people watching football in a restaurant in Mombasa. I left Somalia and came to Kenya but went to Mombasa to live in a house owned by Abdi Wahid. In the same house was a white woman whom I later was told is Wahid’s friend. Other Muslims lived in houses within the same compound. Thats where I met a man called Habib Gani who is a bomb expert and Mussa Abdi who was killed that same year.
I left the house of Abdi in May 2011 but we kept in touch. He was traveling so much to Europe and there are times when he was arrested and released but we could talk on phone. When kdf went to fight in Somalia, I was in Kenya. I had already asked to leave kdf. I stayed for over one year in Mombasa. Al shabab was paying fighters very good money for killings and for kidnappings. Most fighters were from Afmadow but some lived in Mombasa. The ones in Kenya were organized by Habib Gani who later left Kenya and went to fight in Somalia.
In May this year, I received a call from a person who said he was with me in kdf. He wanted me to help them. It was strange because kdf has so many fighters and at this time, several islamic fighters were kidnapped and killed. So I was very careful. I asked to meet this man at a hotel in nairobi but I did not go. Instead asked him to meet me at another hotel nearby just near a petrol station in koinange street. I was at the petrol station and only went to the hotel after 10 minutes. The man told me his name is Yusuf and that he does not work for the kdf but for Kenya security intelligence. He wanted me to help them know where Abdi Wahid was. It was every hard because the new al shabab leader was killing rival fighters but I knew Abdi Wahid was not a rival. It was difficult trusting anyone who knew the name of fighters. The Kenya intelligence man told me they knew about Omar Shafik and that they would find Abdi Wahid without my help, but they would pay me good money if I gave them his contacts. I gave him his Kenyan number and another he uses when in Europe.
In August this year, I came to learn that Omar Shafik was shot and killed in Somalia. I was in Mombasa at this time when Yusuf called me again and i came to nairobi. I met him and a white woman he told me is called Nassim Halima. Nassim is a woman I had met in Wahid’s house. She had changed so much but I could recognize her. She wanted me to meet a man called Saleh. We went to a house in Majengo. At that meeting, Saleh asked me to help them attack a big shopping building where lots of europeans and americans go. I initially thought this was a setup because Yusuf had told me Saleh had been working with Omar Shafik’s fighters to kidnap and kill foreigners in Mombasa. Saleh also told me that the new commander in chief was aware and what we were going to do was to help him fight America and nothing would go wrong. He also told me that fighters from Europe and America would be used. I was to help them get vehicles and a house. At this point, I was still very afraid because i could not believe the commander in chief would be involved and i was also not aware of any date or place of attack. During my period in KDF, I had gone to train fighters in Somalia for al shabab but I never heard of any communications between the leaders of al shabab and any senior government officials in Kenya.
I again met Yusuf that week. He came with another man who did not speak any Kiswahili. We drove around nairobi for a while and went to Sarit Centre. We were joined by two other men who also did not speak Kiswahili. We left and went to a house nearby. It was at that time that I knew we were to attack Westgate because several pictures of Westgate were on the wall of this house. There were also pictures of al Mansoor on the wall and several verses from Quran written on the Westgate pictures. Yusuf explained how the attack would take place, several weapons were already inside Westgate. He also said the fighters already knew the inside of the building after going through training. That evening I left with Yusuf and the three men remained in the house. I was staying at a hotel and Yusuf told me to change locations. By this time, I had been paid 5 million in cash for getting three vehicles and as part of my payment. We agreed to meet again the following week. Yusuf never called, and his phone was off. It was almost three weeks later when another man called me and told me that I would only talk to him from that time. He said he would call again. On 20th September the same man called me using a different number and asked that we meet at Jamia Mosque in the evening. I had by now shared this with a very close friend of mine. He was a fighter though not actively because his father was a very senior man in the previous government. That evening we met at a hotel called Jamyat near the mosque. The man did not tell me his name but said he was with intelligence and works with Yusuf. He gave me a briefcase with money and told me that if I have a family at Westgate then I should find ways of making them not go there on Saturday. He also said two other attackers and more weapons were brought in from Somalia border using a helicopter belonging to a very senior person in government. We then went with the man to Majengo where the vehicles were kept. I gave him the keys, agreed to meet at the house near Sarit and I left. The following morning I was at the house around 10am. I found only two vehicles at the parking. I again met Yusuf and four other men and a woman who was not Somali. She made phone calls and spoke in Kikuyu. Three of these men are the same ones I had met before. Yusuf told me that I was to drive one vehicle to Westgate then drive away. Although we had not agreed about this, I agreed. At around midday, both Yusuf and the other intelligence man were constantly talking on their phones. They seemed to be talking to people inside Westgate because they asked if things are ready at the building. Yusuf asked on phone if the important people have been removed and said it would go on even if those people are not removed because we had agreed to stick to the agreed time. I didn’t know who these people were but I later came to know that some members of the president’s family were in the building. We left the house about twenty minutes later in two vehicles. Both Yusuf and the intelligence man were in the white car I was driving and they got off at Peponi road. The other car used the Other road near the smaller nakumatt supermarket. I drove to the front of the building and stopped and the fighters jumped off then I drove away. That night at around midnight, someone called me to say that I should change my phone number and throw away the phone. I called Yusuf and the other intelligence man but their phones were off. I also received another call the following morning to tell me that I should not travel outside Nairobi. The person told me that the fighters had all left but the building would be blown using the other third car. I knew he was not saying the truth because fighting was still going on at the building. Despite his warning that I don’t leave nairobi, I left and travelled to Mombasa. Two weeks after the attack, three men came to my house and asked my wife to inform me that they were my friends and asked to see me. They told her they would be back the following day. That evening, I told my wife to leave Mombasa and go to her sister. I also left. Four days after that, I called a man known as Mahat whom I was with in KDF, and who had also met Abdi Wahid. He told me that Abdi Wahid was in Kenya but already left for Europe. Two of his friends had been arrested at the airport but released.
I write this in good faith. If I betray someone may Allah have mercy on my soul.
http://kalamallahh.wordpress.com/2013/10/20/al-hamdu-lillahi-rabbil-alamin/
Jicho Pevu is Al Shabaab’s MOUTHPIECE
By Gordon Opiyo
Granted our soldiers and security forces did not behave well before, during and after the Westgate Attack, I would like to WARN Kenyans against believing Jicho Pevu. As usual I will lay facts on the table- and avoid emotional and illogical arguments.
First- I will declare my interest: I have been writing on Islamic Fundamentalism, especially the brand that attacks Christians for more than ten years- I have studied the modus operendi of Terrorists and their propaganda machinery. I have also studied the Koran and issue of Martyrs.
I have just watched the one and a half hour propaganda masterpiece done by Mohammed Ali and would like to raise the following points:- I would not like any other Kenyan to be misled into believing LIES against Kenya and ELEVATION of those murderous cowardly Muslim fanatics.
1)For the the whole one and a half hour of Jicho Pevu- Mohammed Ali does NOT call those murderers Terrorists. He only makes mention of the term “Magaidi”after the clip that shows the President saying that five terrorists have been Killed.
2) Ali calls those murderers heroic terms like “Wapiganaji”, “Wanamgambo” but NEVER calls them TERRORISTS
3) In the first fifteen minutes of Jicho Pevu- Ali chooses his clips very carefully in order to pass a MESSAGE to KENYANS from AL- Shabaab. Listen to this statement from one of the people that was spared by the Murderers “You did not spare our women and children- why should we spare your children” The FACT that Ali chooses to focus on that statement should raise any antenna of Terrorists Network watchers. To increase their impact- the Islamic Fundamentalists usually release some victims and lets them speak through some carefully chosen media. I believe Jicho Pevu is their key voice in Kenya.
4) Jicho Pevu cleverly demonises the KDF, and makes them look like a bunch of fools. Note that there soldiers are not angels- but the propaganda tools of Islamic Terror networks takes advantage of weaknesses in the opposing forces to blow issues out of proportion. They have successfully done that in Iraq, Russia and Afghanistan. For instance, without evidence- Jicho Pevu claims that there were only 4 “Wapiganaji” “Wajasiri” fighting against 200 KDF. The fact that some CCTV cameras show 4 murderers does not mean that they were only 4.
5) Several Verses in the Koran encourage Martyrs to take up arms since the enemy will kill each other: Ali cleverly uses the same verses by claiming that the six KDF soldiers that died “Waliuana wenyewe kwa wenyewe”. Listen to any tape by Rogo and you will get the same statement word for word. Those with eyes and ears- see and hear for yourself.
6) Ali claims that the 4 Escaped. He does not give us maps from the location of the CCTV on how they could have escaped. Why? What is his motive? Prepare us for another attack?
7) Three weeks before the Westage Attack- Jicho Pevu showed gory images on TV of Rogo and other Islamic Fundamentalists that have been in the forefront of teaching hatred against Christians and KDF. Displaying of bodies of “Martyrs” is usually used by Fundamentalists to prepare others for attacks. Ask yourself one key question: Why did Jicho Pevu break ALL journalistic rules to display the bodies of Rogo and three others on National TV? Was it a mere coincidence that after three weeks of Jicho Pevu displaying those bodies Kenya is attacked? Facts speak for themselves.
Part Two: Why Jicho Pevu Is Al Shabaab’s Mouthpiece:
Martyr Body Display: This is one of the key methods used by Jihadists and their preferred media outlets. In Late August Mohammed Ali broke ALL Journalistic Rules by PUBLICLY displaying the Bodies of Aboud Rogo and three other slain clerics. That was not just a bad editorial judgement- but a properly timed activity in any Islamic Fundamentalists schemes. Ask yourself these hard questions
a) Why would anyone want to display for more than ten minutes badly mutilated bleeding bodies of “three Martyrs” at 7 pm?
b) What purpose does the display of “Martyrs” serve? This is meant to act as a signal to other “Martyrs”.
Fundamentalist Islam teaches that Martyrs bodies have special powers. If you believe that there is no connection between the Jicho Pevu Display of Mutilated Bodies and the Westgate Attack three weeks later, then you must be tough. The Middle East Media Research Institute has details of previous tactics: Check them out in this link http://www.memri.org/report/en/print7021.htm
9) Demonising The Military Force: In order to encourage more Jihadists, the Islamic Fundamentalists have a well tested tactic of making the opposing FORCE look terrible and foolish: This tactic has worked well in Iraq and Afghanistan. Buy any preaching tape by Rogo and you will discover that Rogo and his fellow preachers at the Masjid Musa Mosque have been demonising KDF in all their preachings. This is done in order to lift the spirits of new recruits, and fire them up against the “terrible” enemy. I have checked, and rechecked the section that claims that KDF looted- but some things just do not add up: Before you join the mob justice of judging our forces- consider this
1) Looting would have seen them carrying different goodies, of different sizes and colours: The images I have seen just show seven men carrying similar sized paperbags. Nowhere do I see any till being broken into, nowhere do I see any soldier picking anything from any shelf. Before we jump into the mob justice against our soldiers- consider this: Al shabaab has manufactured several defamatory stories against Ugandan Forces. The only difference is that Museveni will shut down any irresponsible media house that airs anything that tarnishes UPDF without proof.
Jicho Pevu has depicted KDF as a bunch of clueless nincompoops.
First, by claiming that 200 men were not able to capture 4 “Fighters”, second, by sensationally claiming that the 4″Fighters” mysteriously escaped(without showing how and through what route). The fact that cameras only captured 4 men does not mean that there were only four. Westgate has several shops and we cannot conclude that they were only four, when we only have CCTV footage of three sections of the mall that has hundreds of sections. This fits well in the Islamic Fundamentalists system of demonising the opposing force.
10) Why Cant ALI use his investigative skills to get to the bottom of those that funded the attackers? Why cant he use his skills to expose the preachers that have been recruiting young men to fight against Kenya and kill Christians? Why Cant Jicho Pevu give us the network that hosted these killers? Truth is: Ali is not willing to expose them; Reason- I will explain later
Gordon opiyo is a NIS operator just read his as usual Kenyan childish nursary school Behaviour/Mentality and programmed mind. it is an open secret how govts has sacrificed their own countrymen to achieve a certain goal & aims However you look at Westgate attack you will always see the Right -hand of govt there .You don’t need to be a Rocket scientist.the govt is led by hand-picked criminals selected from the Same tribe !Mr Silly & stupid Gordon Rise up from cheap selling-out Comatoze!The security of Kenya is run by a gema cabal no more no less open up your blind eyes!Pumbavu wewe!
HARASSMENT OF MEDIA IN THE WAKE OF THE WESTGATE TERRORIST ATTACK
KENYA EDITORS’ GUILD STATEMENT ON HARASSMENT OF MEDIA IN THE WAKE OF THE WESTGATE TERRORIST ATTACK
The Kenya Editors’ Guild is shocked and dismayed by threats directed against the media from the Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo in relation to the coverage of the Westgate terrorist attack.
The police chief is threatening to arrest and prosecute journalists who have done nothing wrong but fulfill their primary mandate of informing Kenyans and on a matter of great national and international interest.
This mandate become even more critical in an environment where official communication from the relevant government arms, especially the security agencies, has displayed a high degree of obfuscation and misinformation that lends credence to suspicion of cover-up.
The head of police has singled out Mohammed Ali and John Alan Namu of KTN for the Jicho Pevu programme that highlighted blunders by the security agencies in the course of the Westgate operation.
We ask the two journalists to ignore any summons that might be issued in contempt of letter and spirit of the Constitutional and Statute law guarantees on media freedom.
The Inspector-General has tried to justify his outrageous threats by quoting completely out of context paragraphs from the constitution under where media freedom must be tempered with considerations for the national good and the rights of individuals.
To justify his unlawful machinations against the media, Mr Kimaiyo is relying on a skewed and self-serving interpretation of Article 33 of the Constitution.
The Kenya Editors Guild wishes to state that this is an affront to media freedom and an attempt to prevent free flow of information contrary to Article 34 of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.
All of us are assumed to know and understand that the right to freedom of media is not absolute. However, the Kenya Editors’ Guild knows that any limitation to the right of freedom of media or any other fundamental right for that matter can only exist within the provision of Article 24 of the Constitution.
Mr Kimaiyo should appreciate that failings within the security systems that make room for terrorist attacks are a much greater threat to national security than media exposure of such failing.
The Kenya Editor’s Guild takes Mr Kimaiyo’s statement as an unacceptable threat to constitutional provisions on freedom of the media and the general freedom of communications.
We challenge the Inspector General of Police to prove his allegations of incitement and clarify why his officers are harassing journalists in the course of the ir duty.
The Guild also takes this opportunity to ask the Police and the Interior ministry to provide timely and accurate information on the large number of outstanding queries from the Westgate incident.
We treat the threats from the Kenya Police against the media as pathetic and tragic attempts by reactionary forces in society to drag the country back into the dark old days of one-party dictatorship and repression.
We have seen the same mindset in statements from the Parliamentary committees purporting to investigate the Westgate incident, but have instead focused their energies on threatening the media and covering-up for the Kenya Defense Force and other agencies that came out in bad light.
As media practitioners, we maintain that a free press holds the promise to foster innovative, successful and stable Kenyan democracy. Government and the police should seize this promise by recognizing the vital role of a free media and taking the necessary steps to create society in which independent media and journalists can operate freely and without fear or intimidation.
We remind the Kenya Police that it is the cardinal duty of media to access to information and share it with their audiences. This is a duty the media has largely carried out professionally, with integrity and a high sense of responsibility.
As it stands today, the media in Kenya is self-regulating and there are clear provisions in the law on how those aggrieved by media reportage can seek relief. Of all the people, Mr Kimaiyo must be assumed to know that there exists a Complaints Commission within the Media Council of Kenya where he or the National Police Service can file complaints against any media establishment and seek appropriate relief. His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta himself has once sought the indulgence of t he Complaints Commission of the Media Council over what he felt was reportage prejudicial to his reputation. So, why shouldn’t Mr Kimaiyo follow the President’s example?
If one is not satisfied by the decision of the Complaints Commission, there is judicial recourse as specified in law.
It is improper for the Police to argue that media exposure of what went wrong at Westgate threatens national security, supports an enemy of the state or amounts to propaganda and incitement.
The media will not be cowed by such statements and will soldier own with efforts to uncover the truth and share it with the public.
Signed for and on behalf of the Kenya Editors Guild:
Macharia Gaitho – Chair
David Ohito – Vice-Chair
Hassan Kulundu – Ag Secretary
Catherine Gicheru – Asst Treasurer
October 24, 2013
Only four shooters at Kenya mall and they may have escaped alive, says NYPD
By Tom Winter
NBC News
Only four men may have carried out the attack on a Kenyan mall that killed more than 60 civilians in September, and they probably escaped alive, according to an NYPD report made public Tuesday.
The report debunked many of the assertions made by Kenyan authorities, who claimed that as many as 15 attackers were involved, including some who might be foreign nationals, and that they were holding hostages.
More than 60 civilians and six soldiers died in the Sept. 21 assault by terrorists from the al Qaeda-affiliated group al Shabaab on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi. After a two-day siege and a series of explosions, Kenyan authorities said they had cleared the mall and killed four attackers.
At a Manhattan press conference Tuesday morning, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said investigators didn’t know “with certainty” how many people were involved, “but we believe there were only four shooters.”
The NYPD report also said the attackers carried only light weapons, and that there is no evidence any of them tried to take hostages or remained in the mall after 12:15 a.m. on Sept. 22. It also said the female British jihadi known as the “White Widow” was probably never in the mall, despite tabloid rumors, and that the Kenyan military looted the high-end shopping complex.
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Lt. Detective Commander Kevin Yorke, who prepared and presented the report, also questioned the Kenyan authorities’ theory that the attackers died when explosions collapsed portions of the mall.
“As a cop, I’m very skeptical of claims until I see proof,” said Yorke, and added that there is “a lot of doubt in my mind it is true.”
The NYPD sent several detectives to Nairobi with the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate the assault, and Yorke assembled their findings into the report.
According to the NYPD’s reconstruction of events, the four attackers operated in two-man teams and coordinated their movements by cellphone. After throwing three grenades and entering the mall, they used AK-47s in single-fire mode to shoot their victims. More than one-third of the dead were attending a children’s cooking contest that was being held in tents in the mall’s roof parking lot. The attackers killed them within 15 minutes of arriving at the mall.
The report said the attackers had grenades and several hundred bullets in eight magazines, but no body armor, handguns or heavy weapons. They did not try to take hostages, but killed as many victims as they could, sparing some who could recite Muslim prayers or name the Prophet Mohammed’s mother. A Russian hand grenade was found on the roof with the pin removed but unexploded.
No women were involved. Rumors had circulated during the siege that British citizen Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of a suicide bomber who attacked the London train system and killed 26 people as part of the “7/7” plot.
The NYPD report credits private security guards and personnel with clearing many people from the mall, though some may have fired on each other since they didn’t use badges. Some civilians “played dead” as the terrorists walked past, while others who tried to hide, many in small stores, were shot dead.
Kenyan law enforcement initially thought they were responding to an armed robbery at the mall. The first Kenyan tactical team didn’t arrive until 1:45 p.m., about 90 minutes after the attack began, and the Kenyan police commissioner arrived at 1:50 p.m.
The police department tactical team entered the mall at 3 p.m., without police markings or identifications, and were fired on by Kenyan soldiers, killing the commander of the unit.
According to the NYPD report, the responding Kenyans “had no idea what the mall looked like internally,” and didn’t know they could access the closed circuit television system.
One terrorist was shot in the leg. The shooters tilted or destroyed cameras in order to hide their whereabouts. By 6 p.m. they were in a mall storeroom near the loading docks, and waited there for six hours, tending their wounded comrade and praying. They can no longer be seen on closed circuit footage after 12:15 p.m., when the NYPD believes they slipped away.
The siege continued for two more days. In his presentation, Yorke dismissed the Kenyan government’s claims that 10 to 15 shooters were involved or that the terrorists had created smoke by setting mattresses on fire. He said he didn’t know what had caused the mall to collapse, but said the Kenyan military may have used rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles on the building, and that heat from fires caused by the explosions may have weakened the poorly built structure.
Yorke said that while the Kenyan military may not have killed any of the attackers, there was “significant” physical and video evidence that they had looted the mall.
http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/10/21849660-only-four-shooters-at-kenya-mall-and-they-may-have-escaped-alive-says-nypd?lite
Kenya mall attackers had simple plan, sources say
There were as few as four attackers, who escaped the Westgate Mall after the first day of the assault, not nearly as many as originally reported.
By:Michelle Shephard National Security Reporter, Published on Fri Jan 10 2014
New details about an assault on an upscale Nairobi mall that sparked fear worldwide about the Somalia-based Al Shabab reveal just how simple a plan it was to launch the worst terrorist attack to hit Kenya in 15 years.
Sources close to the investigation say there were as few as four attackers who escaped the Westgate Mall after the first day of the assault, not nearly as many as originally reported.
It was the bungled response of the Kenyan Defence Forces and lack of communication and coordination among security agencies that added to the carnage and kept terrified people trapped for four days.
The training of a terrorist
Intelligence agencies around the world, including Canada, are conducting their own Westgate investigation since the Shabab has become an international terrorism threat.
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And Western and Somali intelligence and law enforcement sources close to the investigation, who spoke to the Toronto Star on the condition of anonymity, dispute the Kenyan government’s reporting of the event.
Almost every detail provided by the Kenyan authorities in the early days after the attack that began on Saturday, Sept. 21 — the number of hostages, terrorists and how they were armed — has proven false.
Continued misinformation coupled with a failed raid by an elite U.S. commando force in southern Somalia two weeks later has bolstered the confidence of the Shabab, which warns more attacks are imminent.
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The Kenyan government promised an investigation after reports emerged that security services looted the mall’s shops, and in the confusion shot at a police team known as the General Service Unit — claims that Kenyan authorities deny.
However a report that was leaked to a Kenyan paper this week was largely dismissed as an ongoing effort to cover up its own failures. Kenyan authorities maintain the attackers were killed after refusing to negotiate.
According to one East African-based intelligence source, the four seen on the mall’s CCTV cameras escaped early Sunday morning. Previous footage showed them shooting at mannequins and taking clothing, perhaps in an effort to later disguise themselves.
“They were there in the mall for 12 to 18 hours, no more,” said a Somali source, who has been tracking the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab for years.
“It’s nowhere near as sophisticated as Mumbai,” said one American source, referring to the 2008 terrorist attack by the Pakistan-based militants Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed 165, along with the nine gunmen.
“This is actually a pretty straightforward . . . the concept of we send two guys in the front door and two guys in the backdoor and we kill a bunch of people,” said the intelligence official. “When you look at the amount of ammunition they were carrying, they weren’t carrying a lot,” he added, indicating it was unlikely they had planned to lay siege and take hostages.
The 67 victims who have been identified ranged in age from 8 to 78 years old and hailed from 13 different countries. Canadians Annemarie Desloges, a 29-year-old diplomat who worked at Canada’s High Commission in Nairobi, and Naguib Damji, a 59-year-old Vancouver businessman who was having coffee in the mall, were among the dead. The exact tally is unknown as there are reports of others still missing.
Al Shabab spokesperson Ali Dhere gloated at the criticism of the Kenyan government in identifying the attackers or number killed, recently telling Channel 4 journalist Jamal Osman: “Something that happened at the heart of their country, and they still don’t know whether the men have escaped or not and how many they were. That shows their weakness.”
A New York Police Department report released in December also criticizes the Kenyan government’s response. The analysis was conducted by the NYPD’s anti-terrorism unit, based on interviews with witnesses and public information.
The attack began in the mall at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 21 when the militants approached in cars. They lobbed hand grenades and shot indiscriminately, moving in pairs until they later came together in a storeroom of the Nakumatt, the mall’s grocery store.
“These guys go back into the storeroom, back in the Nakumatt, and they’re there basically for hours. The time stamp on that video footage runs from 7 o’clock at night until 1 o’clock in the morning,” said one U.S. source.
The police’s GSU team, along with private citizens and security officials, helped evacuate many of the mall’s occupants — photos of terrified children and wounded women and men quickly circulated around the world. Police were reportedly close to the four terrorists hiding in the Nakumatt when, in the confusion, Kenyan Defence Forces reportedly killed a police officer and injured another in a “friendly fire” incident.
“Probably the greatest tragedy is the police tactical team, they were actually pretty good and at the point when the friendly fire occurs they’re in close proximity to the terrorists when they get shot from behind,” a U.S. law enforcement intelligence source told the Star. “There’s a real possibility the police could have ended this thing a lot sooner.”
The shooting delayed the operation. “At that point, everybody pulls out of the building to regroup and reassess and then, it’s just the military doesn’t go in because they can’t see in the dark and they’re cautious.”
Neither the police nor the military were equipped with night vision goggles.
In the ensuing confusion the attackers are believed to have fled. One of the alleged suspects, later named in press reports as Somalia-born Norwegian citizen Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow, was reportedly wounded in the attack and is being pursued in southern Somalia, says one intelligence source. Images captured on the CCTV cameras show Dhuhulow with a leg injury. His condition and exact location is unknown.
On Sept. 23, long after the militants had reportedly left, a fire sparked during the military’s rescue attempt caused part of the mall to collapse. It wasn’t until 78 hours after the attack began, on the evening of Sept. 24, that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the mall secure.
Despite the simplicity of the attack on what intelligence officials often refer to as a “soft target” — malls, hotels, community centres, as opposed to embassies or government buildings — the operation had reportedly been planned for months and involved militants in Mombasa, Kenya, who were directed by the Shabab’s leadership based in Somalia.
A well-known Shabab commander who goes by the name “Ikrima” was in contact with the attackers in the mall and that communication, said one intelligence source, was tracked by U.S. authorities and is what sparked the U.S. Navy SEALs raid in Barawe, Somalia, two weeks later.
Although unnamed American intelligence officials told NBC the raid was disrupted when a fighter went outside to smoke, security officials told the Star that the militants had become suspicious once the American elite forces jammed the Internet.
“You have no idea how sophisticated these guys are in their communication,” said one intelligence source.
The Shabab claimed credit for the attack shortly after it began, writing on Twitter: “The attack at #WestgateMall is just a very tiny fraction of what Muslims in Somalia experience at the hands of Kenyan invaders.
“For long we have waged war against the Kenyans in our land, now it’s time to shift the battleground and take the war to their land.”
But it is believed the attack’s origin traces back to Kenya’s coastal town of Mombasa, following the killing of a prominent militant sheik who served as an inspiration for local jihadis. Fingers pointed immediately to Kenyan police for the drive-by shooting death of Aboud Rogo Mohammed, as they have been accused in the past of assassinations and “disappearances” of terrorism suspects.
The Mombasa group later connected with the Shabab’s leadership in Somalia, said a source, where they received training before crossing back into Kenya a few months before the attack.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2014/01/10/kenya_mall_attackers_had_simple_plan_sources_say.html
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