US Forces deployed in Kenya to boost war against terror in the region

NAIROBI, Kenya Jun 13- The United States has deployed security forces in Kenya, to help boost the war against terrorism in the region.

In January this year and on the directive of former President Donald Trump, the US withdrew its troops from Somalia, and repositioned them to neighbouring countries, among them Kenya.

It is not yet clear how many of the 700 soldiers moved from Somalia are stationed in Kenya, but President Joe Biden says the “United States Armed Forces are deployed to Kenya to support counterterrorism operations in East Africa.”

The main focus is the war against the Al-Qaida linked Al-Shabaab terror group, including eliminating the threat posed by ISIS.

“Since the last periodic report, United States forces have conducted a small number of airstrikes against al-Shabaab, and remain prepared to conduct airstrikes against ISIS and al Shabaab terrorists,” President Biden said in a letter to the US Congress.

The US Forces are set to compliment the efforts by the Kenya Defence Forces to restore peace in Somalia, alongside other forces under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Other US Forces are based in Djibouti.

President Biden said that the United States military personnel remain deployed to Djibouti, including for purposes of staging for counterterrorism and counter-piracy operations in the vicinity of the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, “and to provide contingency support for embassy security augmentation in East Africa, as necessary.”

The withdrawal of the forces in Somalia had been termed as ill-timed since the Al-Shabaab has lately advanced its bomb-making skills and amidst heightened attacks in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

-Al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya-

Kenya has suffered the brunt of the insecurity in Somalia, with the situation being more complicated due to a porous border between the two countries and a set of other security lapses.

Hundreds of lives, both security and civilians, have been lost during terror attacks in Kenya.

On September 21, 2013, four masked gunmen attacked the Westgate shopping mall, an upscale mall in Nairobi.

67 lives were lost during the four-day siege, while all the four Al-Shabaab terrorists are said to have been killed.

The attackers used AK-47 rifles and grenades.

Between June 15 and 17 in 2014, more than 60 people were killed in attacks in and near Mpeketoni area in Lamu County.

While Al-Shabaab took credit for the loss of innocent Kenyan lives, reports indicated that the attacks were planned by local politicians with ties to criminal gangs in the area.

On 2 April 2015, gunmen stormed the Garissa University College in Garissa, killing 148 people, and injuring 79 others.

The militant group and Al-Qaeda offshoot Al-Shabaab, which the gunmen claimed to be from, took responsibility for the attack.

Most of those killed were innocent students who were mostly found in their sleep.

In January 15, 2019, the terror group targeted DusitD2 complex in Nairobi.

At least 21 people were killed during the attack. All the five attackers died.

In January 202, the terror group staged an attack in Manda Bay military base jointly run by the US and Kenya, killing 3 Americans.
They also destroyed 6 aircrafts during the dawn attack.

Weeks later in February, the US military said a senior al-Shabab leader behind the deadly January 5, 2020 attack was killed in precision airstrikes, along with his wife.

The US Africa Command said his wife was a “witting and active member of al-Shabab responsible for facilitating a wide range of terrorist activities.”

Pockets of other attacks targeting both civilians and security agencies, where Improvised Explosive Device (IED) were used, have been launched along the border areas of the country.

Areas of Lamu and more so near Boni Forest where a security operation has been ongoing have also not been spared.

But the terror group’s ability to launch large scale attacks has largely been degraded according to authorities.