147 in the desert

Life in some parts of the middle East is far more tumultuous than you could ever imagine, thanks to Isil and it's affiliates. The same cannot be said of Kenya, even though Al shabaab extremist are trying hard to fullfil that. Their sordid schemes of bloodbath and pure horror has only succeeded in their downfall for they have been immensely obliterated in their own backyard. But who or what is Al shabaab, most people would probably still be wondering, even though their callous acts of terror speak it all. It is a military outfit trying to impose the stringent version of the Sharia law in Somalia, it is accustomed to the tennents of sunni islam. Like other terrorist groups, al shabaab propagated amidst the anarchy and disarray in Somalia because they faced no imminent impediment. It became a force to reckon with, amassing large swathes of land, and controlling key installations in the state this would result in the acquisition of weaponry the main ingredient they needed to assert complete authority. They have been involved in ilicit charcoal, sugar trade and other contraband as a result guns and other weapons have been smuggled into somalia. The People of Somalia have suffered at the hands of the militia for many agonising years. According to Human Rights Watch the terrorists have violated children rights and deprived people of freedom. Al shabaab executes alleged victims either by decapitation or firing squad or elect other means depending on the magnitude and nature of the their victim's wrong doings. So how did Kenya get involved? We,ll Kenya has a long shared history with Somalia, particularly during the Shifta battles. Kenya has a significant Somali population or rather Kenyan Somalis if you will. Even though the diplomatic ties between the two states hasn't been one of the best, each party has steered off any unnecessary altercation for many years, but the onslaught on Al shabaab was inevitable. The Genesis of the bitter retaliatory attacks we witnessed a few months ago, was marked by the direct threat to Kenya's security and wellfare. The peril of denting Kenya's tourism industry which contributes a large percentage to the GDP was imminent. The insurgents would sneak in and would kidnap unsuspecting tourist which prompted questions on the ability of Kenya to protect her citizens and foreign tourist as well. It was only wise to pursue the group deep into Somalia, in what was dubbed as operation "linda nchi", Kenyan troops were deployed in Somlia and has since done a remarkable job with the help of Amisom. The Al Shabaab is a far cry from what it once was, having lost most of its spheres of influence, important leaders and significant member defections. Infact pundits argue that all that remains are small potent pockets of the group, who have somewhat managed to evade security checks and infiltrate into the country. And some are kenyan youths who have been equally radicalised to launch appalling attacks on Kenyan soil. The Westgate attack and mpeketoni attacks were carefully orchestrated by both Kenyans and foreigners. The attackers have always remained elusive and have dodged our intelligence which really generates more questions than answers. Being a student in one of the Kenyan universities, I can only wonder how safe i am, following the gory massacre of other students in Garissa. This was truly tragic, it's still hard to stomach the thought of 142 innocent students losing their lives to jihadists, it was totally uncalled for. The world has condemned these killings especially during the easter period. What baffles me most, is the ability of terrorist groups to corrupt gullible youths. It's appears as though young people are victims of pure sham and find it irresistible to dismiss huge offers. This is a global problem and far much bigger in Europe now that Isil has shifted attention to young Europeans. I was mesmerised and for once felt pity for one of the fallen attackers in the Garissa siege, this was quite uncanny. He was a young charismatic barrister with a promising future atleast from what those from his inner circle and acquaintances had to say. He was a law student at University of Nairobi, and had a record of exemplary performance in academics, scoring A- in KCSE. His father had reported him missing over a year ago and had suspected he had joined the dreaded group. It's hard for both families, but people have to get it right, jihad has no place and religious conflicts might as well lead to complete annihilation of the human race. No troops will be withdrawn and no negotiations will be made, atleast going by the president's words. And in my opinion that's a good idea, as withdrawal of infantry and artillery will give the militants plenty of space to regroup and propagate in numbers. They will almost certainly reclaim the ports, control business and acquire weaponry with devastating effects. The struggle is far from over, but the global war against terrorism will continue.