Somali based Harakat Al Shabaab Al Mujahideen (Al Shabaab) has staged terror on Kenyans with a sole purpose to create an ethnic and religious rift among the Kenyan public.
This, they have done to ignite feelings of disillusionment among Kenyans on the basis of segregation. In past attacks, the militants have isolated non-Muslims from the Muslims and killed the Non-Muslims to create a religious rift.
The militant psychological threat has not gained form in Kenya where the citizens continue to embrace each other as brothers. And unlike OSINT sources which indicate that Kenyan authorities are hostile against Muslims and the Kenyan-Somali population, Kenya is committed to protecting its nationals regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations.
During the instance of June-July 2015 Muslim Ramadan season for instance, Kenyan authorities worked around the clock to ensure that the Muslim faithful got the round the clock security for a conducive environment for their celebrations. Al Shabaab militants had planned to carry out massive killings during the religious celebrations. The Kenya Defense Forces was however able to foil most of these would have been deadly attacks.
In the aftermath of terror attacks in Kenya in 2014, the Kenyan government launched a security operation aimed at unmasking terror cells and sympathizers in Kenya. This came out successful with intercepted militant communication revealing the militants’ acknowledgment that they had suffered losses regarding their cells in Kenya.
This is usually a nationwide operation that nets suspected militants and their sympathizers. It does not pick on any particular ethnic group as some OSINT sources misguide readership. Such reporting should be avoided as it ignites intolerance and disillusionment among sections of the public.
