On September 21, 2015, Kenya marked her 2nd anniversary of the Westgate Mall Terrorist attack with security agencies beefing up security within Nairobi and other potentially target areas.
The siege at the mall started on September 21, 2013 when a number of militants stormed the mall and started shooting shoppers. Sixty seven people were killed and hundreds wounded during the four-day siege.
The Somali based terrorist group, the Al Shabaab who were behind the attack has a habit of carrying out attacks to mark their previous successful operation. For this, security agencies in Kenya have put in measures to ensure the country is safe for normal economic activities.
At the time of the siege, there were a number of loopholes in the security sector which the government has worked on until now. The earlier gaps that existed between the anti-terror agencies including the defense forces and the security intelligence have been bridged, resulting in a smooth operation and capability in preempting terror threats.
The Ant-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) has foiled a number of attacks that could have happened in the month of August. This has included arrest of dozens of suspected Al Shabaab militants.
The arrests have also culminated in seizure of materials used by terrorists to operate active terror cells. The weapons recovered from the suspects included three AK-47 riffles, 227 rounds of ammunition, seven rocket-propelled grenades, four magazines and four hand grenades.
ATPU also recovered a metallic improvised explosive device (IED) carrier, soldering wire and several mobile phones.
The Kenya Defence Forces have destroyed Al Shabaab terror cells in Kenya, rendering the militant grop to resort to their bases in Somalia where they are being hit hard by the AMISOM troop who are backing the Somali National Army to destroy the terrorist group. The ongoing Operation Linda Boni is also a sure means to totally drive the militants from the Kenyan borders.
