One of the vehicles in Governor Ali Roba's convoy blown up by an ED [Photo/capitalfm.co.ke]
Security Analyst and former military officer Werunga Simiyu believes there is a 'force within' the country aiding Al Shabaab militants in the recent wave of attacks. He believes the recent guerilla-like attacks are likely to be aided by radicalised individuals within the country. A total of 32 Kenyans have been killed by the militants in a span of a month. North Eastern regional commissioner Mohamud Saleh concurs with Simiyu on the notion that the locals are aiding the militants. “We believe al-Shabaab are being supported by some elements in Kenya. They are being guided by people with good knowledge of the area. There are Kenyans among the combatants while others are gathering intelligence for them (al-Shabaab),” he said. “When they came, though they had covered their faces, they could call out elders by name and ask about their sons (elders), whose name they also called out. If it was purely al-Shabaab foreigners, they would not operate that way,” he added. Security personnels have been the greatest casualties of these attacks with 18 police officers and two defense forces officers being killed. Simiyu says the attack on security officers and installations is a strategy to demoralize the officers and prevent them from going out for patrols. “We know police are trained for law enforcement. These tactics are used in paramilitary and military operations during disturbance and insurgency, which is not the case in Northern Kenya. If it persists, it will affect the morale of our officers.” He also pointed out that Kenya lacks the technological capability and preparedness to fight off this type of attacks. “This is definitely a change of tack and it is very dangerous. I don’t think this country is prepared for this because of the technological capacity required. It is meant to scare security personnel from patrolling,” he said.