Saturday November 6, 2021
By BRUHAN MAKONG
Nairobi, Kenya - The United States government has issued a bounty of up to 6 million dollars for information on the whereabouts of four key leaders of the Somalia-based terrorist group, Al-Shabaab.
The reward notice was issued under the State Department Rewards for Justice Program in a bid to disrupt and weaken the leadership chain of the Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group which has staged major attacks in East African countries including Kenya.
The State Department issued a 6-million-dollar reward for Abu Ubaidah Direye who is categorized as the organization’s leader, followed by a 5-million-dollar reward for both Mahad karate, the Amniyat Commander and Fuad Mohamed Khalaf, the financial facilitator of the group.
Amniyat is a highly secretive Al-Shabaab’s intelligence and counter-intelligence wing tasked with gathering information on potential targets and in some instances carry out assassinations and bombings.
The US further offered a 3-million-dollar reward for the group’s facilitator and operational planner, only identified as Jafar.
Kenya last suffered a major terror attack on January 15, 2019 at the Dusit D2 Hotel complex in Nairobi where more than 20 people were killed among them sixteen Kenyans, one American, a South African, a Briton, and 3 others who were not immediately identified. The attack was claimed by Al-Shabaab.
Other major attacks carried out by the Shabaab include the Westgate Shopping Mall on September 21, 2013 that left 71 people dead among them four terrorists and Garissa University on April 3, 2015 when 147 people, many of them students were killed, among others.
In Somalia, one of the major attacks occurred on December 2019 which left at least 8o people dead following a suicide car bomb at a checkpoint in Mogadishu.
The State department said in a statement that the jihadist group which continues to wreak havoc in a number of countries, is a major threat to regional peace.
“Al-Shabaab, a Somalia-based terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for many bombings in Kenya and Somalia. The group’s activities continue to threaten the peace, security, and stability of the region,” the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service Rewards for Justice said Thursday.
The state department urged anyone with the information about the Al-Shabaab leaders to contact them via different communication platforms on the numbers provided by them.
“Call or text our tip lines via SMS, Signal, Viber, and WhatsApp at the number below; KENYA +254-718-712-366 and SOMALIA +252-610-703-446,” the notice stated.
Apart from the rewards program, the US is engaged in various interventions across the globe in its global war against terrorism, from the war-torn countries such as Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and the recently completed campaign in Afghanistan which was launched 20 years ago in Afghanistan against the Taliban, another Al-Qaeda affiliated terror outfit.
In Africa, The US has partnered with dozens of countries under a similar program such as Djibouti where they have established huge military bases and Kenya where they are carrying variety of programs to improve the capability of its security agencies in combating terror.
On October 31, Kenya and the United States Embassy in Nairobi conducted a joint terror drill to test terrorism preparedness.
The exercise at Rosslyn Academy in Gigiri involved at least 100 officers drawn from the Special Program for Embassy Augmentation and Response team (SPEAR) as part of wider efforts to step up the country’s readiness and interoperability in the wake of the rising terror threat globally.
Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), Bomb Disposal Unit, Boarder Patrol Unit, emergency first responders, and disaster management response teams took part.
The exercise which was characterized by simulation of gun fire and explosives was carried out in partnership with Aga khan and MP Shah hospitals where ‘victims’ were rushed for emergency treatment.
“The objective is for readiness. It’s the sixth time we have done this, every time we are evaluating response times, capabilities and interoperability of first responders, law enforcement and this is led by the SPEAR team which is a specifically designed group of law enforcement folks who protects diplomatic facilities and personnel,” US Embassy Spokesman Andrew Veveiros told reporters.
The exercise was also attended by representatives from the Kenyan government and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
The mock exercise included simulated explosions, blank gun fire, fire and traffic disruption around nearby roads within the city.
Veveiros stated that it was very important for regular trainings to be conducted between law enforcement officers and first responders to improve response times in the event of crisis.