Kenya alert as top al-Qaeda man is killed

By CYRUS OMBATI

Kenya’s security agencies were put on alert following reports a drone strike in Pakistan had killed al-Qaeda’s number two Abu Yahya al-Libi.

This is because al-Qaeda had announced it had merged with Somalia’s militant group Al-Shabaab in their terror related activities.

Al-Shabaab has been blamed for several grenade and bomb attacks in Kenya the latest being on May 28 along Moi Avenue which killed one person and injured more than 30 people.

A series of other explosions have occurred in the country killing more than 20 people, which Kenya blames on the terror group since troops crossed to Somalia to hunt down the gang.

Highly placed security officials said they feared the criminal gang would react to the killing of the commander in Kenya following their links.

“We continue to urge for vigilance amongst all in the country and given the reports that the Al-Qaeda commander was killed, things may be bad but we are on high alert,” said one senior officer who asked for anonymity.

Security has been beefed up in major installations and buildings. Managers of skyscrapers were on Tuesday ordered to scale up their security measures to address threats that the terror group may strike anytime.

A US based intelligence firm said at the weekend it had information Al-Shabaab plans to strike in Kenya. And following the killing of the commander, police and intelligence officials said the gang could react with more attacks.

Last year, Al-Qaeda said it had merged with Al-Shabaab.

In Washington, White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Wednesday “Our government has been able to confirm al-Libi’s death.”

Al-Libi had been deputy to Ayman al-Zawahiri’s, who has run al-Qaeda since Osama bin Laden’s fate was ended last year. Al-Libi had been imprisoned at Bagram air base in Afghanistan for three years before escaping in 2005 and returning to the fight.