‘Kenya terrorists came from all over the world’

Though many Nigerians reside there, Nigerian mission officials in Nairobi were still unable to indicate any Nigerian casualty by press time yesterday. The shopping mall is frequented by many foreigners. “From information available to the Nigerian High Commission, we are not aware of any Nigerian involvement”, Akin Oyateru, the Nigerian High Commissioner in Kenya, told […]

Though many Nigerians reside there, Nigerian mission officials in Nairobi were still unable to indicate any Nigerian casualty by press time yesterday. The shopping mall is frequented by many foreigners.
“From information available to the Nigerian High Commission, we are not aware of any Nigerian involvement”, Akin Oyateru, the Nigerian High Commissioner in Kenya, told Daily Trust.
Kenyan military chief Julius Karangi emphasised foreign participation in the attack by saying: “The gunmen came from all over the world. We are fighting global terrorism here.” A Twitter account claiming to represent Al Shabaab yesterday also claimed that terrorists from seven nations were involved in the attack, including the US, Britain and Canada.
The account claimed the group were Ahmed Nasir Shirdoon, 24, from London, UK; Gen Mustafe Noorduiin, 27, from Kansas City, U.S., Abdifatah Osman Keenadiid, 24, from Minneapolis, U.S., and Ahmed Mohamad Isse, 22, from Saint Paul, U.S; Ismael Guled, 23, from Finland; Abdirizak Mouled, 24, from Ontario, Canada; and Zaki Jama Caraale, 20, and Sayid Nuh, 25, both from Somalia.
Security officials near the scene said the blasts heard at lunchtime yesterday as they closed in on the terrorists who were holding hostages were caused by Kenyan forces blasting in after President Uhuru Kenyatta had on Sunday dismissed a demand that he pull Kenyan forces out of neighbouring Somalia.
A senior police officer said the authorities had received advice from Western and Israeli experts.  He acknowledged “support” from foreign governments but said Kenyan forces were managing without it. Western powers have been alarmed by a spread of al Qaeda-linked violence across Africa, from Nigeria and Mali in the west, though Algeria and Libya in the north to Somalia and now Kenya in the east. Nairobi saw one of the first major attacks by al Qaeda, when it killed more than 200 people with a bomb at the US embassy.