Al Shabab planning attack on Wajir, Mandera and their targets are identified

Al-shabaab militants (Courtesy)

NAIROBI—Somalia based militant group Al Shabab is planning to launch “major” attack in Garissa, Wajir or Mandera in the holy month of Ramadan in retaliation for the attacks on their members in Somalia by the Kenya Defense Forces.

According to an intelligence report partly leaked to Kulan Post, the militants have identified several target spots, including mosques which remain populated during the Ramadan.

The preliminary report adds that the group has identified the County headquarters in Wajir town as their “preferred target in Wajir using mortars to ground the building.”

It further adds that the militants are likely to hit on senior county and national government staff. It’s the first time the group is targeting county government employees and premises.

“Public gatherings are also a target,” the report adds.

The man in charge of the planned attack in Wajir has been identified as Ibrahim Mohamed using Ahmed Dabar and Abdiwahab Osman, two locals who joined the militants in 2016.

Dabar is the main suspect behind the February Qarsa attack where a teacher and his wife were killed.  Dabar’s wife and mother are accomplice in his activities, a police report said.

“We have established that the number of Al Shabab militants along our border with Somalia are on the rise with some trying to cross into Kenya, ” a statement by the Police spokesman, Charles Wahungu stated on Thursday.

However, it’s not clear why the militants delayed to launch the attack. However, the intelligence community believe the attackers are yet to receive signal from their base in the mountainous region of Gedo where their commanding officer, Ibrahim Mohamed is stationed it.

His lack of order to attack is rooted in the division of the top commanders of Al Shabab who, according to Somali media report, are engaged in succession politics following prolong illness of their leader, Ahmed Diriye Abu Ubayda.

Al-Shabaab militants in Lamu (Courtesy)

A faction of Al-Shabaab elected Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidoow as their new leader while another team led by the group Spokesman Ali Rage and Mahat Mohamed Karate, opposed the election of the new leader.

On Monday, the security forces in Wajir launched sweep after intelligence reports emerged that the militant group “was in high gear to attack the visiting legislators from the National Assembly.”

The MP’s from the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee were in Wajir for a public forum on the Two-Third gender Law.

The security forces assaulted the public in what the political leaders termed as uncalled for.

” It shocks that Kenya security forces carried out surprise attack on innocent and unarmed citizens, hastily resorting to hostilities and harassment and violence in the name of preventing attacks,” Wajir East MP, Rashid Kassim said.

He added that, “What happened in Wajir was uncalled for.”