Kenya: on the edge waiting for the jihadists to attack

Not the place I would want to be, that's for sure.  The hunkering down has begun, and we are waiting for the death toll.


From AP/Yahoo January 10 by Jason Straziuso

Kenya on edge as terror attack threat looms

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The security bulletins warning of an impending assault by terrorists are rising in intensity as Kenya's capital increases security measures in hopes of preventing what would be the first massive attack here since the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombing.

The U.S. Embassy this week put out new rules prohibiting visitors from bringing electronics or laptop computers into the compound. Shopping malls are installing new security rules. And a new, high-end hotel has shuttered its underground parking garage.

Al-Shabab, Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group, has repeatedly promised to attack Kenya in retaliation for Kenyan forces moving into southern Somalia in October. The group's spokesman threatened to bring Nairobi's skyscrapers down, and though an attack of that magnitude appears unlikely, intelligence officials fear some attack is imminent.

One Western diplomat told The Associated Press that recent intelligence reports show that al-Shabab is trying to obtain security guard uniforms they can wear while carrying out an attack, a common tactic used by militants in Afghanistan. The diplomat spoke on condition he was not identified discussing sensitive intelligence matters.

One analyst said he is surprised large-scale attacks haven't happened already.

"I don't think it's going to be grenade attacks. It's going to be a massive truck bomb, simultaneous attacks. This is a signature of al-Shabab and al-Qaida," said Rashid Abdi, a former Somalia analyst with the International Crisis Group who is setting up an independent policy forum. "I think they want to make a huge statement."

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