Somalia: AU Reinforces to go for Al Shabaab; the Continuous Headache of Africa

Somalia could rightly be termed as the United States Vietnam in Africa and can also be compared to Soviet's Afghanistan because the US left amid humiliation after Aideed and his men disgraced American soldiers. An African quote from Nigeria says: 'The rain did not say it will not bring down a house, it is the owner that will strive to prevent such an occurrence.' Another says: 'The owner of the house cannot be around and weed will design his house'.

After the Kenyan Westgate attack, al Shabaab came under the scrutiny of Africa and the leaders have cogently beam continuous searchlight of solutions on Somalia. Al Shabaab now appears to threaten the African continent at large because the hand of terrorism is unseen. If it had threatened the horn centrally; most especially Kenya and Ethiopia long before now, it could go beyond that as it now seems to have real existential disaffection for the AU troops.

The African Union backed a call to boost by about a third the number of troops in an African peacekeeping force in Somalia to reinforce a campaign against the Islamist militants there who attacked the Nairobi shopping mall last month. The union's Peace and Security Council said 6,235 soldiers and police should be added to the AMISOM peacekeeping force to take its total strength to 23,966 uniformed personnel for a limited period of 18 to 24 months.

The decision needs the approval of the UN Security Council. AMISOM is made up of troops mainly from Kenya, Uganda and Burundi. Ethiopia has also sent in soldiers, but they are not under AMISOM command. Sierra Leone is having around 800 soldiers too among the AU forces. The AU council emphasizes on the need for renewed efforts to degrade the capabilities of al Shabaab, in view of the continued threat it poses both within Somalia and in the region.

The United States recently launched an attack to capture the supposed leader of al Shabaab that led the Kenyan Westgate attack but failed. Al Shabaab quickly responded by deploying around 200 fighters to the town of Barawe where the manhunt took place. Another of such was carried out in Libya and was successful.

The only sorrowful part is that African leaders continuously refused to learn by calling on the West for help. Those who turned Libya into what it is today and failed in Somalia, rather caused more division cannot do anything concrete to favour Africa. If they can end insurgencies, with the massive firepower employed in Somalia by the Clinton-led administration in the 90s, al Shabaab should not be breathing today.

It was the combined efforts of Kenya and Ethiopia that brought mild sanity back to Somalia; hence, Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn made an aberration calling on foreign powers to interfere in Somalia again. One wonders when Africans will take their destinies in their hands and stop the moronic act of begging all over the globe.

Al Shabaab's Fortress in Somalia Attacked by 'Western' Forces

The Westgate Mall attack in Kenya opened the eyes of Africa and Africans to the full reality that there is really an unfinished business in Somalia which serves as the training bastion for fundamentalists and terrorists. Somalia since 1991 has been a real headache for its neighbours in the horn of Africa; notably Kenya and Ethiopia. It served as the port haven for militants now roving some countries on the continent. Speculations even went around that the UN bombing that happened in Nigeria was carried out by a suicide bomber trained in Somalia before Boko Haram itself became sophisticated.

The US intervention in Somalia in the early 90s in an operation code-named 'Black Hawk Down' could not defeat or effectively decimate the ranks and files of the militants. The operation ended in a shocking 'defeat' for the United States as it was forced to withdraw its troops due to the notorious ways in which Farah Aideed and his men humiliated American soldiers. Westgate has however drawn worldwide interest on a larger scale probably in what al Shabaab is capable of doing and the havoc it can orchestrate.

Reuters quoting members of the al Shabaab militants reports that "Western" forces attacked a house in one of its coastal bases in the town of Barawe under the cover of dark, killing one rebel fighter. Foreign forces landed on the beach at Barawe, about 180 km (110 miles) south of Mogadishu, and launched an assault that drew gunfire from rebel fighters, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, spokesman for al Shabaab's military operations.

It was not immediately clear why the Barawe base had been targeted specifically, nor whether the assault was related to the attack on a Kenyan mall two weeks ago, which the al Qaeda-linked group said it carried out and which killed at least 67. Western navies patrol the sea off Somalia - mired in conflict for more than two decades - and have in the past launched strikes on land from warships.

No foreign military units typically involved in such operations in Somalia have said they were involved in the strike. One Western official in the region declined to comment. Kenyan forces stationed in the southern parts of Somalia were unavailable for comment. "Westerners in boats attacked our base at Barawe beach and one was martyred from our side," Musab said. "No planes or helicopters took part in the fight. The attackers left weapons, medicine and stains of blood, we chased them," he said.

Many residents said they were woken by the noise of heavy gunfire late on Friday night. "We were awoken by heavy gunfire last night, we thought an al Shabaab base at the beach was captured," Sumira Nur, a mother of four told Reuters from Barawe on Saturday. "We also heard sounds of shells but we do not know where they landed. We don't have any other information," she said.

Although the United States does not report its activities in Somalia, it has used drones in recent years to kill Somali and foreign al Shabaab fighters. In January, the French military used helicopters to attack an al Shabaab base in a southern Somalia village to rescue a French hostage. Two French commandos were killed and the insurgents later claimed they had killed the agent. Western nations are worried that Somalia will sink back into chaos and provide a launchpad for Islamist militancy despite a fragile recovery after two decades of war.

Al Shabaab were driven out of Mogadishu in late 2011 and are struggling to hold on to territory elsewhere in the face of attacks by Kenyan, Ethiopian and African Union forces trying to prevent Islamist militancy spreading out from Somalia. Al Shabaab wants to impose its strict version of sharia, or Islamic law, across the Horn of Africa state. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was seeking to send drones to Kenya as part of a $40 million (25 million pounds)-plus military aid package to help four African countries fighting al Qaeda and al Shabaab militants.

The Kenyan and Ethiopian troops coupled with the AU forces performed creditably well in decimating the militants. Without them, al Shabaab would have grown exceptionally and extremely stronger than it could have ever been imagined. The coordination of the Westgate attack and the later threats and rantings of the terrorist group show that it is ready to effect more devastating attacks of the shores of Somalia if not properly handled or shown the way of force too.

Consuming Fire on the Mountain of Africa?: Islamist Terrorists from Somalia hit Kenya

RT latest report says Kenyan military spokesperson Colonel Cyrus Oguna confirmed that “most of the hostages have been released, and the Kenya Defence Forces has taken control of most parts of the building," where at least 68 people were killed in an attack. Four military personnel were injured during the latest rescue operation, Kenya Defense Forces stated. Kenyan authorities have regained control of most of the mall and have rescued most of the hostages, Kenya Defense Forces tweeted.

Kenyan forces have launched a major assault to free the hostages trapped inside the mall. US President Barack Obama has also called Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta to say that the US will support Kenya's efforts to bring the perpetrators of the shopping mall attack to justice. Former Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, said that the militants had established contact with the country’s authorities. He did not mention the attackers’ demands. Beside Kenyans, among the victims of the attack are also citizens of France, the UK, Canada, China, South Korea and India.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has sent a telegram of condolence to Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta, saying Russia strongly condemns this act of terrorism, the Kremlin’s press-service reported. Security forces have “a good chance” of neutralizing the attackers at the shopping mall, said Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta. "The criminals are now located in one place within the building. With the professionals on site, I assure Kenyans that we have as good a chance to successfully neutralize the terrorists as we can hope for," he told reporter

At least 68 people are now reported to have been killed according to Kenyan Red Cross and over 200 others wounded by Al-Qaeda-linked militants in a Nairobi shopping mall, as the hostage crisis there has entered its second day. Foreigners are among the casualties. 10 to 15 gunmen are still inside the shopping mall, a Kenyan minister has reported. 30 hostages are still inside the building, according to the country’s officials and Western diplomatic sources cited by CNN. AP journalists reported from the scene that gunfire was heard in the mall on Sunday morning.

They added that following the shooting, two wounded Kenyan security forces were carried from the mall. Israeli advisers are reportedly helping Kenya to work out a strategy to end a siege at the mall. "There are Israeli advisers helping with the negotiating strategy, but no Israelis involved in any imminent storming operation," an Israeli security source told Reuters. President Kenyatta also lost close members of his family. Ghanaian poet, Kofi Awoonor also died in the Westgate attack after sustaining serious injuries. Awoonor was in Nairobi to speak at the Storymoja Hay Festival, a four-day celebration of writing, thinking and storytelling.

Along with Ghanaian poets Nii Parkes and Kwame Dawes, Awoonor was due to perform on Saturday evening as part of a showcase of award-winning poetry from both sides of Africa. He died age 78. One of the smiles of Africa is gone. His son was severely injured too but new report shows he has been discharged from the hospital. Witnesses said the attackers ordered all Muslims to leave the premises, as only non-Muslims would be targeted. "The casualties are many, and that's only what we have on the outside. Inside there are even more casualties and shooting is still going on," Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Abbas Guled said.

A police officer inside the shopping centre said the gunmen had barricaded themselves into the Nakumatt supermarket. "We have reports of American citizens injured in the attack, and the US Embassy is actively reaching out to provide assistance," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement, Reuters reports. Al Jazeera International has reported that Al Shabaab, a hardline Islamist group with a stronghold in neighbouring Somalia, told them that they carried out the Nairobi shooting.

"We got three bodies from this shop. And a couple of bodies here," he said pointing to an abandoned hamburger bar, Reuters reports. Some local television stations are reporting that hostages have been taken, but there has been official confirmation. A Reuters photographer earlier said he saw five bodies outside the mall and a former British soldier said he saw four more people who had also been killed.

At least two dozen wounded were wheeled out on stretchers and shopping carts. Many of the victims had sustained what appeared to be superficial wounds inflicted by flying debris. Others were seen walking out of the building with bloodied articles of clothing wrapped around their injuries. "I Personally touched the eyes of four people and they were dead. One of them was a child. Its carnage up there," said a former British soldier at the scene.

Police are currently engaged in an ongoing shop-by-shop sweep of the complex. "They have seven hostages, confirmed," an officer told AFP. Kenyan soldiers were also deployed to take part in the operation to bring the shopping complex back under control. Police helicopters circled over the building as sporadic gunfire could be heard more than two hours after the attack was launched. Police cordoned off the roads surrounding the mall in central Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood.

Kenya’s interior minister said the mall shooting may be “an attack by terrorists.” "It is a possibility that it is an attack by terrorists, so we are treating the matter very seriously," Mutea Iringo, the principal secretary in the Ministry of Interior told Reuters. Asked if foreign security services were involved in the operation to flush out the attackers, he said, "At this stage it has not become necessary yet." Nairobi police Chief Benson Kibue blamed the attack on terrorists, though he did not name a group. Five assailants, armed with AK-47s and grenades launched their attack on the Westgate shopping mall in the Kenyan capital around midday.

Gunmen were said to have lobbed grenades at the onset of the strike. They then proceeded to shoot indiscriminately and took several people hostage at the mall in Nairobi, a senior Kenyan government source said. Armed police arrived on the scene nearly half an hour later and could be heard shouting "get out, get out" as scores of shoppers fled the building. Smoke billowed out of the entrance, which was believed to have been caused by the grenade attack.

"They don't seem like thugs, this is not a robbery incident," Yukeh Mannasseh who was on the mall's top floor when the shooting started, told Reuters. "It seems like an attack. The guards who saw them said they were shooting indiscriminately." Other witnesses said that the gunmen had asked all Muslims to vacate the mall, as only non-Muslims would be targeted in the attack. When asked if the attack was a robbery, one paramilitary officer replied, "No, terrorist".

An AFPTV reporter said police and security guards were trying to secure a multi-screen cinema complex inside the mal where many had taken shelter. The reporter said she saw at least 20 people rescued from a toy shop on one of the upper floors of the building. A shop manager who managed to escape said it had appeared “the shooters had taken control of all the mall.”

The Somali militant group al-Shabaab had earlier threatened to strike the mall, as it is a popular destination for the city’s expatriate community. However, no one has yet to claim responsibility for the assault. One victim said that he had been shot by a man who appeared to be Somali, while others noted the gunmen were speaking in a foreign language. "A Somali guy shot at me. The guy who shot me was carrying a rifle, an AK-47," said  Saptal Singh, who was in a cafe in the top floor of the mall.

The sleeping of Africa on the world stage will eventually consume it. Apparently, most of the people involved in this attack were foreigners. The consuming war of Washington versus Al Qaeda is fast moving around countries close to Muslim-populated countries or countries with a sizable number of Muslim population. One begins to wonder when Africa will wake from slumber and see itself losing in the Imperialism versus Fundamentalism game despite not being a participant and has no interest whatsoever. Nigeria is currently battling its own. Mali just ended and one only hopes for a better future ahead, now Kenya.

Of what benefit is a belief that people use to send wrong signals to the world? Of what benefit is the follower-ship of a country that is really and advantageously secured where it is located but continuously precariously spread its tentacles of hatred with its policies? The two camps are same and Africa seems to be caught between the era of Trans-Saharan and Trans-Atlantic trades again. Somalia has continually been the albatross of the continent as many of today's fundamentalists had received their training in that country since 1991. Al Shabaab has already claimed responsibility for the Kenyan attack. The Twitter account of Al Shabaab which announced the attack has been suspended.