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Two weeks ago, terrorists from the Somali al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabab entered the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya and after telling all Muslims to leave began firing indiscriminately on those that remained. After a four day siege, the Kenyan government’s forces took out the militants, ending the worst terrorist attack that Kenya has seen since the bombing of the U.S. embassy in 1998 that killed more than 200 people. At least sixty-one people died in the attack and nearly 200 were wounded. The Red Cross also estimates that there are more than sixty people missing, some of which are feared dead after several mall floors collapsed during the final hours of the siege. Al-Shabab says that the justification for the attack is Kenya’s occupation of Somali territory and they have pledged to continue their attacks. The issue is further complicated by Kenya’s president and vice-president standing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) this fall.
This topic brief will provide some background information on al-Shabab and their hostility toward the Kenyan government, discuss the Westgate shopping mall attack, and examine what lies ahead for Kenya’s struggle with the al-Shabab terrorist group.
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