kimatire
JF-Expert Member
- Nov 27, 2008
- 371
- 94
Gaidi Mtaani, or "Terrorist on the Street" in Swahili, was introduced in April and has published two issues in Swahili and English. The magazine's editorial says it drew inspiration from Inspire, an English-language online magazine published by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
In its first issue, Gaidi Mtaani mocked the Kenya Defence Forces' (KDF) Operation Linda Nchi, which means "Protect the Country", by coining its own Operation Linda Uislamu, which means "Protect Islam".
The group vowed to triumph over Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces, placing on the cover of its first issue an image of a man overlooking the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, holding two grenades behind his back.
Security officials told Sabahi they are monitoring the magazine and will communicate through local media to dispel any lies the group publishes.
The government has asked civilians to be extra vigilant and work with security forces to counter the threats, said Dadaab District Officer Bernard ole Kipury. There is nothing new in the online magazine's content, he said, as al-Shabaab is recycling threats to attack government installations and civilians. "After three or four issues, they will run out of ideas and they will regurgitate the same message over and over," he said.
Kipury told Sabahi that al-Shabaab is not only seeking to gain new recruits and sympathisers, but also to terrorise people in Swahili-speaking countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and parts of Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He said the magazine indicates al-Shabaab has been cornered and is resorting to desperate measures to save face.
Al-Shabaab is publishing in Swahili to appeal to a wider audience after suffering a string of defeats in Somalia, Kipury said.
Al-Shabaab has lost many strongholds in Somalia over the past few months, including Beledweyne, Baidoa, Hudur, Afgoye and Balad. In addition, the Somali government's offer of amnesty to former fighters has spurred many defections from al-Shabaab's forces. :A S 465:
In its first issue, Gaidi Mtaani mocked the Kenya Defence Forces' (KDF) Operation Linda Nchi, which means "Protect the Country", by coining its own Operation Linda Uislamu, which means "Protect Islam".
The group vowed to triumph over Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces, placing on the cover of its first issue an image of a man overlooking the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, holding two grenades behind his back.
Security officials told Sabahi they are monitoring the magazine and will communicate through local media to dispel any lies the group publishes.
The government has asked civilians to be extra vigilant and work with security forces to counter the threats, said Dadaab District Officer Bernard ole Kipury. There is nothing new in the online magazine's content, he said, as al-Shabaab is recycling threats to attack government installations and civilians. "After three or four issues, they will run out of ideas and they will regurgitate the same message over and over," he said.
Kipury told Sabahi that al-Shabaab is not only seeking to gain new recruits and sympathisers, but also to terrorise people in Swahili-speaking countries, such as Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and parts of Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He said the magazine indicates al-Shabaab has been cornered and is resorting to desperate measures to save face.
Al-Shabaab is publishing in Swahili to appeal to a wider audience after suffering a string of defeats in Somalia, Kipury said.
Al-Shabaab has lost many strongholds in Somalia over the past few months, including Beledweyne, Baidoa, Hudur, Afgoye and Balad. In addition, the Somali government's offer of amnesty to former fighters has spurred many defections from al-Shabaab's forces. :A S 465:
