AFRICA
Egypt – The press reported that on the 19 Sep 13 the police had fought a gun battle in
Kerdasa after eleven policemen were killed in Jul 13 and there bodies were mutilated. A
police station was attacked after the removal of the former president Morsi. The police
had fought to retake the area which was held by former supporters of the previous Muslim
government. In a separate incident several metro lines in the capital were closed after two
suspected bombs were found on the tracks near Hilmiyat al-Zaytub station in south Cairo,
although the bombs were believed to be primitive. For further information follow the link:
http://www.fairobserver.com/article/brotherhood-using-martyrdom-revolutionary-capital
The Egyptian authorities have banned all activities by the Muslim Brotherhood. The ruling
applies to the movement, its non-government organisation and any affiliated groups, along
with assets frozen. Under the Mubarak regime the movement was a banned organisation
since 1954 but was later tolerated but could not stand for elections. It appears that the
Egyptian government are again banning the organisation and stopping it from standing in
future elections. Later the new government closed the MB newspaper down and confiscated
documents and other assets. These actions are clear signs that the Egyptians are forcing the
MB out and attempting to ensure that it has no legal standing when the next elections are
held. This will no doubt infuriate those supporters and will at some point become a problem
for the Egyptians.
The al-Qaeda franchise is attempting to add to the Egyptian woes by attempting to incite
jihadist's to strike at the Egyptian army. In an article published by the Long War Journal on
the 23 Sep 13 the Ibn Taymiyyah Media Centre (ITMC), a jihadist media unit tied to the
Mujaheddin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem called for the strike against the
Egyptian army. They also mentioned that the current climate in Egypt is a “great historical
opportunity to regain awareness regarding the betrayal of the regimes that are established in
the land of Muslims, and their sinful soldiers. This will be an attempt to support its followers
in the Sinai Peninsula and incite others in the towns of cities of the country to attack and
destabilise the country allowing for further jihadists possible from Syria of opening up a new
front.
Kenya – A gun battle ensued in a Nairobi shopping Mall on the 21 Sep 13. Several members
of the terrorist group al-Shabaab from Somalia attacked many unarmed civilians in the
shopping precinct as they went about their daily shopping. The attackers were dressed in
black and wearing turbans and entered the facility from three different directions. One
group entered armed with assault rifles drove up and walked in from the main entrance,
a second group made its way onto the second floor of the building via a rooftop car park
and the third was thought to have gained access by a ramp from a basement area. The
terrorists asked those fleeing and caught if they were Muslim or not; if they were then they
were asked questions such as ‘what was Mohammeds mothers name?’ and if they answered
correctly they were aloud to go. Although al-Shabaab said that the attack was in retaliation
for Kenya’s involvement in the 2011 push into Somalia as part of the African Union Force
(AUF). Another theory is that it was retaliation for the Kenyan Navy which attacked the
small island off of Somalia called Kismayu. The island is seen as a pipeline for al-Shabaab
to allow supplies of arms and fuel to the terrorist organisation; the island is also believed to
be a staging post for recruits from Kenya into Somalia. The attack halted with the terrorists
holding hostages but there was no news of any negotiations. An al-Shabaab spokesperson
said that they would not negotiate so it is possible that although the terrorists expected the
attack to be a suicide mission they probably got cold feet and attempted to save their own
lives by taking hostages. In total there were sixteen terrorists of whom five were killed and
the other eleven were eventually captured. After five days the siege was over and resulted in
72 dead including five terrorists and approximately 200 injured.
Al-Shabaab had been contained in Somalia and has obviously had problems operating in the
country due to the success of the AUF. By attacking outside the country the terrorist group
has shown that it has the ability to export terrorism to other countries in the region. This said
unless they can be cleared out of Somalia in total and defeated once and for all attacks of this
nature are likely to be repeated elsewhere in countries that are supplying troops to the African
Union Force. Security in those countries must be tightened up and emergency action plans
revisited at and see if they can be improved. There were reports that no one had any idea
of neither floor plans nor isolation switches to shut down electricity in the building. With
two attacks of this nature, one in Mumbai in 2008, and the Nairobi attack this will become a
trend for a large number of terrorist groups who seek to take revenge, recruitment and gain
propaganda. Terrorist groups must be talking to one another to gain much needed feedback
on any attack of this nature and al-Shabaab had learned lessons from somehow from 2008.
If any of the terrorists escaped then they will be debriefed by their leaders and the lessons
learned from the attack will be implemented into the next terrorist atrocity. The attack in
Nairobi on the US embassy in Aug 1998 was the first attack by terrorists in the country.
Since then Kenya has experienced a number of low intensity terrorist attacks with gun and
grenades. If that is the case then they must have a new mentor as the Westgate attack was
well planned had excellent logistical support and was executed well. There are two reports
in the British media that suggest that the terrorists had been using the shopping precinct for
some time as witnesses stated that they had seen them coming and going for some months
prior to the attack. Kenya must now take a good hard look at its security and intelligence,
learn lessons and where necessary seek advice from those who have been fighting terrorism
for some time. There will be a lot of embarrassment from the government as to why they
did not pick up that al-Shabaab terrorists were using the shopping mall as a front prior to the
attack; where did the weapons come from; what happened to the hostages and why security
in the shopping area was so weak. There will no doubt be many other issues raised but more
importantly they must learn from this incident and pass all relevant findings to other countries
that may end up with an attack of this nature.
Libya – Saif al-Islam the son of Muammar Qaddafi will now appear in court on the 12 Dec
13. The reason given was to allow the attendance of other/s accused in the case. The Zintan
militia group that is holding Saif has also stated that the security situation is currently unsafe
to transfer him to Tripoli where the trial is to be held. Another thought is that the militia
holding him does not want him to be sent to trial anywhere else. No Further Details Known.
Nigeria – Boko Harem terrorists dressed in military uniforms set up check points around the
village of Benisheik in the countries north-east Borno state. A heavily armed group entered
the village in twenty pick-up trucks along with two light tanks firing anti-aircraft guns. The
terrorists attacked security forces in the area that had to leave as they were running out of
ammunition. The security forces made a hasty run back to their base but were followed by
BH members who started to shell the base. When members of the village fled those that were
manning the checkpoints shot those that were fleeing. The attackers finally left in triumph
leaving with their spoils which consisted of four military patrol trucks and two light armoured
tanks. The following day the security forces went to assess the damage and found scores
of dead bodies including the beheaded bodies of fourteen young men who were part of a
vigilante group set up to combat BH elements.
There were also reports that BH had attacked security forces in the Abuja the nations capital
on the 20 Sep 13. No Further Details Known.
On the 29 Sep 13 there were reports that Boko Harem had attacked the Collage of Agriculture
in Yobe state killing up to fifty students as they slept and set fire to classrooms. The security
situation in that area is very weak even though the Nigerian government are claiming that
they are clamping down on the group in the northwest of the country. There was reportedly
no security at the collage which meant it was a soft target for the terrorists to attack. With
BH attempting to stamp out western style education in the region the government needs to
step up security at facilities of this nature to stop attacks of this nature occurring.
Egypt – The press reported that on the 19 Sep 13 the police had fought a gun battle in
Kerdasa after eleven policemen were killed in Jul 13 and there bodies were mutilated. A
police station was attacked after the removal of the former president Morsi. The police
had fought to retake the area which was held by former supporters of the previous Muslim
government. In a separate incident several metro lines in the capital were closed after two
suspected bombs were found on the tracks near Hilmiyat al-Zaytub station in south Cairo,
although the bombs were believed to be primitive. For further information follow the link:
http://www.fairobserver.com/article/brotherhood-using-martyrdom-revolutionary-capital
The Egyptian authorities have banned all activities by the Muslim Brotherhood. The ruling
applies to the movement, its non-government organisation and any affiliated groups, along
with assets frozen. Under the Mubarak regime the movement was a banned organisation
since 1954 but was later tolerated but could not stand for elections. It appears that the
Egyptian government are again banning the organisation and stopping it from standing in
future elections. Later the new government closed the MB newspaper down and confiscated
documents and other assets. These actions are clear signs that the Egyptians are forcing the
MB out and attempting to ensure that it has no legal standing when the next elections are
held. This will no doubt infuriate those supporters and will at some point become a problem
for the Egyptians.
The al-Qaeda franchise is attempting to add to the Egyptian woes by attempting to incite
jihadist's to strike at the Egyptian army. In an article published by the Long War Journal on
the 23 Sep 13 the Ibn Taymiyyah Media Centre (ITMC), a jihadist media unit tied to the
Mujaheddin Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem called for the strike against the
Egyptian army. They also mentioned that the current climate in Egypt is a “great historical
opportunity to regain awareness regarding the betrayal of the regimes that are established in
the land of Muslims, and their sinful soldiers. This will be an attempt to support its followers
in the Sinai Peninsula and incite others in the towns of cities of the country to attack and
destabilise the country allowing for further jihadists possible from Syria of opening up a new
front.
Kenya – A gun battle ensued in a Nairobi shopping Mall on the 21 Sep 13. Several members
of the terrorist group al-Shabaab from Somalia attacked many unarmed civilians in the
shopping precinct as they went about their daily shopping. The attackers were dressed in
black and wearing turbans and entered the facility from three different directions. One
group entered armed with assault rifles drove up and walked in from the main entrance,
a second group made its way onto the second floor of the building via a rooftop car park
and the third was thought to have gained access by a ramp from a basement area. The
terrorists asked those fleeing and caught if they were Muslim or not; if they were then they
were asked questions such as ‘what was Mohammeds mothers name?’ and if they answered
correctly they were aloud to go. Although al-Shabaab said that the attack was in retaliation
for Kenya’s involvement in the 2011 push into Somalia as part of the African Union Force
(AUF). Another theory is that it was retaliation for the Kenyan Navy which attacked the
small island off of Somalia called Kismayu. The island is seen as a pipeline for al-Shabaab
to allow supplies of arms and fuel to the terrorist organisation; the island is also believed to
be a staging post for recruits from Kenya into Somalia. The attack halted with the terrorists
holding hostages but there was no news of any negotiations. An al-Shabaab spokesperson
said that they would not negotiate so it is possible that although the terrorists expected the
attack to be a suicide mission they probably got cold feet and attempted to save their own
lives by taking hostages. In total there were sixteen terrorists of whom five were killed and
the other eleven were eventually captured. After five days the siege was over and resulted in
72 dead including five terrorists and approximately 200 injured.
Al-Shabaab had been contained in Somalia and has obviously had problems operating in the
country due to the success of the AUF. By attacking outside the country the terrorist group
has shown that it has the ability to export terrorism to other countries in the region. This said
unless they can be cleared out of Somalia in total and defeated once and for all attacks of this
nature are likely to be repeated elsewhere in countries that are supplying troops to the African
Union Force. Security in those countries must be tightened up and emergency action plans
revisited at and see if they can be improved. There were reports that no one had any idea
of neither floor plans nor isolation switches to shut down electricity in the building. With
two attacks of this nature, one in Mumbai in 2008, and the Nairobi attack this will become a
trend for a large number of terrorist groups who seek to take revenge, recruitment and gain
propaganda. Terrorist groups must be talking to one another to gain much needed feedback
on any attack of this nature and al-Shabaab had learned lessons from somehow from 2008.
If any of the terrorists escaped then they will be debriefed by their leaders and the lessons
learned from the attack will be implemented into the next terrorist atrocity. The attack in
Nairobi on the US embassy in Aug 1998 was the first attack by terrorists in the country.
Since then Kenya has experienced a number of low intensity terrorist attacks with gun and
grenades. If that is the case then they must have a new mentor as the Westgate attack was
well planned had excellent logistical support and was executed well. There are two reports
in the British media that suggest that the terrorists had been using the shopping precinct for
some time as witnesses stated that they had seen them coming and going for some months
prior to the attack. Kenya must now take a good hard look at its security and intelligence,
learn lessons and where necessary seek advice from those who have been fighting terrorism
for some time. There will be a lot of embarrassment from the government as to why they
did not pick up that al-Shabaab terrorists were using the shopping mall as a front prior to the
attack; where did the weapons come from; what happened to the hostages and why security
in the shopping area was so weak. There will no doubt be many other issues raised but more
importantly they must learn from this incident and pass all relevant findings to other countries
that may end up with an attack of this nature.
Libya – Saif al-Islam the son of Muammar Qaddafi will now appear in court on the 12 Dec
13. The reason given was to allow the attendance of other/s accused in the case. The Zintan
militia group that is holding Saif has also stated that the security situation is currently unsafe
to transfer him to Tripoli where the trial is to be held. Another thought is that the militia
holding him does not want him to be sent to trial anywhere else. No Further Details Known.
Nigeria – Boko Harem terrorists dressed in military uniforms set up check points around the
village of Benisheik in the countries north-east Borno state. A heavily armed group entered
the village in twenty pick-up trucks along with two light tanks firing anti-aircraft guns. The
terrorists attacked security forces in the area that had to leave as they were running out of
ammunition. The security forces made a hasty run back to their base but were followed by
BH members who started to shell the base. When members of the village fled those that were
manning the checkpoints shot those that were fleeing. The attackers finally left in triumph
leaving with their spoils which consisted of four military patrol trucks and two light armoured
tanks. The following day the security forces went to assess the damage and found scores
of dead bodies including the beheaded bodies of fourteen young men who were part of a
vigilante group set up to combat BH elements.
There were also reports that BH had attacked security forces in the Abuja the nations capital
on the 20 Sep 13. No Further Details Known.
On the 29 Sep 13 there were reports that Boko Harem had attacked the Collage of Agriculture
in Yobe state killing up to fifty students as they slept and set fire to classrooms. The security
situation in that area is very weak even though the Nigerian government are claiming that
they are clamping down on the group in the northwest of the country. There was reportedly
no security at the collage which meant it was a soft target for the terrorists to attack. With
BH attempting to stamp out western style education in the region the government needs to
step up security at facilities of this nature to stop attacks of this nature occurring.
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