Al-Shabaab gangs storm Garissa
mosques, threaten 'traitors' day after Ethiopian soldiers crossed to Kenya
By
David Ochami and Hassan Barisa
Updated Thursday, May 21st 2015 at 00:00 GMT +3
threaten 'traitors' day after
Ethiopian soldiers crossed to Kenya By David Ochami and Hassan Barisa Updated
Thursday, May 21st 2015 at 00:00 GMT +3
KENYA: For the second time in as many days, Kenya’s
territorial integrity was compromised by armed men who took their time to try
and stamp fear into locals before taking off.
Heavily armed militiamen, suspected to be Al-Shabaab,
stormed two mosques in Ijara Sub-county in Garissa on Tuesday night, and forced
worshippers to listen for two hours to their tirade against the Kenya
government, local civil servants and security officials before disappearing
into a nearby forest. It happened a day after Ethiopian soldiers armed with
AK-47 rifles crossed into Kenya aboard 10 vehicles and took over a police
station in North Horr. In the Tuesday night incident, the Somali militiamen
forced worshippers at two mosques in Tumtish and Kabasalo villages to listen to
their fiery ideology and reportedly read out names of alleged spies and
traitors during the ordeal that began at 6pm. The simultaneous raids on the
villages caught two nearby military posts at Sangailu and Hulugho by surprise.
Kabasalo is about 10km from the military post at Hulugho while Tumtish lies
about eight kilometres from the Sangailu Kenya Defence Forces ( KDF) post.
Hulugho OCPD Caleb Matoke told The Standard that “we
received intelligence that the two groups were led by a wanted terror suspect
called Mohamed Bilal.” Matoke added that after the gang split, Bilal led the
one that took over Kabasalo mosque. According to Matoke, 25 militiamen took
part in the two raids and he believes that “they were Al-Shabaab who were sent
by [Mohamed] Kuno.” Kenyan has placed a Sh20 million bounty on Kuno’s head.
Kuno alias Gamadeere, a former teacher at an Islamic school in Garissa, is
accused by Kenyan authorities of masterminding the April 2 terrorist carnage at
Garissa University College in which close to 150 people, mostly students, were
killed.
Kuno was not among the attackers Wednesday.
Kuno was not among the attackers Wednesday.
An intelligence officer who was among the worshipers in one
of the mosques told The Standard Wednesday that “we listened in petrified
silence as the men in jungle uniform with heavy weapons rounded us up, and
began to preach against the Kenya Government, KDF and local officials they
claim are spying on them.” The officer, who cannot be named for security
reasons, said the militants, who spoke Somali, forced worshippers to listen
without asking any questions. And the intelligence officer quoted the militants
demanding the names and homes of local chiefs, police reservists and details of
police stations and military posts. When worshippers declined, the armed men
took away a man from the mosque at Kabasalo for “intense” questioning,
according to local residents who said they do not know what he told them. Local
police suspect the armed men were Al-Shabaab who crossed into Kenya from
Kulbiyow Somalia, several kilometres away, and have been hiding in the thick
Boni Forest that runs through Garissa and Lamu counties.
Kuno is a former teacher at an Islamic school in Garissa
where his family still lives but he traces his roots to Galmagala in southern
Garissa. The Standard has established that Bilal was involved in a terrorist
raid on Galmagala in 2013. Local residents suspect the militiamen are planning
attacks on police stations, military posts and assassination of chiefs and
civil servants stationed there.
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