Islamist militant group recruiting in Kenyan towns

onnaedo

April 16, 2015 8:31 PM

The recruitment marks a new tactic for al-Shabab, underscoring fears voiced by Kenyan intelligence services and MPs.

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Islamist militant group, Al-Shabab is reportedly recruiting heavily in north-eastern Kenya, BBC reports.

Reports say in one town alone, the disappearance of 26 young men was reported to the police because they were suspected to have joined the militants.

There were also scores of cases of missing young men in the north-eastern town of Isiolo, who later admitted in phone calls to their parents that they had joined the Islamist group.

But only half of those cases have been reported to the police because of fears of reprisals. There are similar concerns in other parts of the country.

The Kenyan government has however offered amnesty to young Kenyan men who have been lured into joining al-Shabab as part of the efforts to enlist the help of the Muslim community to fight the radicalisation of Kenyan youth.

But one of Kenya's most powerful Muslim leaders, Sheikh Abdullahi Salat, warned that widespread mistrust of the security services in Kenya threatens to frustrate investigations, claiming that corruption within the police, military and intelligence services was likely to hamper attempts to hunt down al-Shabab.

2 weeks ago, al-shabab carried out a deadly attack on Garissa University in the northern region of Kenya, killing 150 people.

onnaedo

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