Al-Qaeda linked terrorist group Al-Shabaab on Wednesday warned Kenya to withdraw its military from Somalia or face further attacks just days after attacking one of its military bases which has a US presence.
The attack on Sunday on the military base in Lamu killed three US military personnel and destroyed several US aircraft and vehicles. Four militants were killed in the attack, according to Kenya military spokesperson Paul Njuguna.
Al-Shabaab further threatened the safety of citizens and tourists visiting the country saying that they “will no longer be safe” during their holidays and travels.
“Withdraw all your forces from our Muslim lands while you still have the chance. Otherwise brace yourselves for the worst and prepare for perilous times ahead, because Kenya will never be safe and Kenyans will never sleep soundly at night,” a statement from the group said.
A series of attacks on Kenyan soil and kidnappings prompted the Kenyan government to deploy its military to Somalia in 2011 in an attempt neutralise the threat of the group and restore stability in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab has since staged reprisal attacks against Kenya against its citizens and troops at home and across the border and issued several warnings to Kenya to pull out of Somalia.
The group also called on other terrorist groups to make American interests in Kenya their primary target.
Al-Shabaab’s warning comes close to a year since an attack on the five-star dusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi which killed 21 people.
Aside from the attack on the Kenyan military base, the group has also claimed responsibility for two recent bombings in the Somali capital Mogadishu, in late December and on Wednesday, which killed more than 80 people.
Al Shabaab is fighting the central Somali government, which is backed by the African Union and the United Nations, in a bid to impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
