Kenya: Mombasa a Focus for Islamic State
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 24 February 2017 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 4 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Kenya: Mombasa a Focus for Islamic State, 24 February 2017, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 4, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58b405fe4.html [accessed 19 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Link to original story on Jamestown website
Police in Kenya's costal region arrested two suspected members of Islamic State (IS) on February 18. The pair had reportedly returned from Syria and their arrests serve as a reminder that while al-Shabaab remains the major threat in East Africa, IS continues to maintain a small but dangerous foothold in the region.
The two individuals — named as Nasra Hyder Faiz and Salim Mohamed Rashid — were arrested in police raids in Mtwapa in Kilifi county and the Kinzingo district of Mombasa respectively (Standard, February 18). They had apparently travelled to Syria and were picked up by Turkish authorities in November 2016 as they crossed the border on their way out of the country (Capital News, February 18). The Turkish authorities subsequently deported them to Kenya, where their family members possibly helped them to avoid the authorities (Standard, February 21).
According to the police, the two were set to issue instructions to local IS operatives to attack one of Mombasa's shopping malls (The Star [Kenya], February 18). That brings with it a chilling reminder of the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in the capital Nairobi, in which more than 60 people were killed. That attack was perpetrated by al-Shabaab. IS, by contrast, has yet to make real inroads into Kenya, but its efforts may now be gathering pace.
In August last year, two medical students were arrested in Malindi over alleged ties to IS. They were reportedly trying to obtain false documents and cross the border into Somalia (Capital News, August 29, 2016). Then in September, IS claimed its first attack in Mombasa, when three women stabbed a police officer and burnt down a police station in the port city (Standard, September 14, 2016). Meanwhile, in October, a man reportedly affiliated with IS was shot and killed outside the U.S. embassy in Nairobi after he stabbed a Kenyan policeman (Standard, October 30, 2016).
Kenya's coastal region is home to both separatist elements and radical Islamists, but in recent years the Islamists have proved a greater threat. Government efforts to dislodge al-Shabaab militants from the Boni Forest began to see success in 2015, forcing the militants out of the area. And in recent months, Kenyan troops have been joined there by U.S. Special Forces (The Star [Kenya], February 10).
The success of the Boni Forest operations has meant many of the al-Shabaab fighters there have gone to ground or left the country, some possibly heading to Tanzania. The authorities' focus on al-Shabaab, however, may mean that Kenya has taken its eye off IS.
The police station attack and the recent arrests suggest IS is beginning to target Mombasa, which is of particular concern as the infiltration of radical Islamists from Somalia and simmering socio-political tensions with Nairobi make the port city particularly vulnerable to IS recruitment efforts.
