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| Africa Horn |
| Somali residents living in fear of Kenya attacks |
| 2011-11-05 |
| MOGADISHU — Residents of Somali towns targeted by Kenyan forces fighting Shebab rebels said on Friday they were caught between two fears: getting hit in an air raid or being accused of spying for Nairobi. In Baidoa, one of the 10 towns singled out this week by Kenya for attack, residents say they spend as little time as possible outdoors, fearing that a bombardment would unleash dangerous rock shards from the huge boulders that dot the area. Kenya deployed troops into Shebab-controlled southern Somalia last month to battle the Al-Qaeda-inspired rebels it blames for kidnapping foreigners on its soil and conducting cross-border raids. The Islamist militants, who deny the accusations, warned Kenya on Thursday of "cataclysmic consequences" and are watching the civilian population with suspicion. Some residents say the militants have been seizing mobile phones of people they suspect of spying for the Somali government and the Kenyan troops. The Kenyan military also said the Shebab this week received three planeloads of weapons in Baidoa, and on Thursday army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said the rebels were using donkeys to transport the arms. Kenya is seeking to prevent the Shebab, who control most of southern Somalia, from attacking its territory and launched the offensive in mid-October. Despite voicing security worries over the years about the extremist militia, Nairobi had held off from an outright battle against the Shebab, preferring to offer military training and diplomatic support to Somalia's weak government. Chirchir on Tuesday urged residents in 10 southern Somali towns to avoid rebel camps as the army prepared to attack. In the Shebab-held port town of Kismayo, residents said the insurgents were moving their weapons elsewhere to avoid damage by the Kenyan air raids, leaving locals fearing for the worst. "I have seen trucks loaded with supplies. They headed to unknown locations because armed vehicles guarded those trucks. Shebab fighters are changing positions," said a Kismayo resident who gave his name only as Dahir. "It is the civilians who are worried most here in Kismaio. We have heard civilians bombed in a camp in Jilib and the same could happen here if these Kenyans keep attacking towns," added Dahir, referring to an air strike on a southern Somali town last week. Kismayo pharmacist Ahmed Artan told AFP it would be difficult for the Kenyan forces to strictly bombard Shebab targets. "We think that Kenya does not have sophisticated technology and if they target these towns, it will be hard for them to distinguish targets, and for sure there will be huge civilian casualties," Artan said. "People are used to seeing civilians killed in air strikes on television in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan, but now it has came to Somalia." |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 But no fear for the islamonazi hordes who want to turn the clock back 1400 years. Make the shebabs into kebabs. |
| Posted by: Bill Bourbon6367 2011-11-05 19:41 |
| #3 Everyone wants to be a Palestinian. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-11-05 13:40 |
| #2 Leave it to Agence France Presse to troll the waters until a suitable concerned citizen is found for the 'template-appropriate' comment. |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2011-11-05 12:54 |
| #1 Somali Residents Living in Fear of Kenya Attacks?? Sure, blame Kenya for the problems Al-Shabaab started... |
| Posted by: American Delight 2011-11-05 08:17 |