Why Al-Shabaab increased terrorist attacks in Kenya?

In recent weeks, the Al-Shabaab militants have gone rampage in northeastern Kenya, with the militants targeting members of security forces through Improvised Explosive Devices [IEDs], a significant increase from the past according to security experts.

Throughout the same period, senior government officials led by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki and his Defence counterpart Aden Duale, have visited security officers in the Frontline, while encouraging them to continue defending the country from Al-Shabaab aggression.

But according to experts who spoke to The Star, the surge is informed by ongoing crackdown against the militants in several parts of Somalia, with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud now targeting Jubaland and Southwest states. The first phase focused on Galmadug and HirShabelle, leaving over 3,000 militants dead.

So far, more than 30 people, the majority of them security officials have been killed in separate attacks by the terrorist group near the Kenya-Somalia border. The campaign in Somalia has displaced many of the terrorists who escaped to Kenya.

According to intelligence reports, the group has been arriving in Kenya in small numbers, vanishing into local community while at the border. After a lull of almost eight months, the first attack was reported in Mandera on May 2, 2023.

Also, low morale among soldiers in Frontline is said to be another contributing factor. This multi-agency security team has been flushing the militants in Lamu and Northern Frontier Districts of Wajir, Garissa and Mandera for several years now .

Some of the officers say they have not received the stipends they used to get, the Star reports. This stopped after the new government announced cuts in various financial commitment departments. Plans are underway to return the money to the officers on the ground, sources said.

Furthermore, the change of guard in Kenya staggered security operations across the country. President William Ruto came to power last year and changed security chiefs including the military, police and intelligence.

Insiders believe the terror group is opposed to plans to reopen the Kenya-Somalia border and hence wants to increase the attacks to force the authorities to stop the same. The terror group wants to continue collecting taxes on contraband goods coming to Kenya.

“They know once the border is reopened they will lose the money they collect from contraband goods. They are increasing the attacks to force the halting of the plans to open the border,” said an official aware of the trend.

But to tame the militants from wreaking havoc in the country, the government is now embracing local, elders, scholars and other influential members of the society to help in identifying hideouts of the militants for actions.

The Al-Shabaab has lost significant territories in central and southern Somalia, with Kenya Defence Forces taking part in the operations.

GAROWE ONLINE