I salute KDF for their brave response against Al Shabaab, condole with Mpeketoni victims one year on

I salute KDF for their brave response against Al Shabaab, condole with Mpeketoni victims one year on

BY MUSYOKA NGUI

L

et me congratulate the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) for their exemplary fight they staged against Al Shabaab terrorists in Lamu. KDF thwarted the militants attack due to their swift response and high level of professionalism.

Despite the military outpost being located in a remote place in Lamu, our soldiers offered a quick return of fire that shamed the al- Shabaab and in the process killed 11 of the attackers.  I condole with the families of the two gallant soldiers who paid the ultimate price. They showed an exceeding degree of patriotism and they should be celebrated as heroes.

Terror Scourge

The terror scourge has in the recent past claimed many lives of innocent Kenyans. As such, any citizens of goodwill must unite with and support the government and our soldiers who sacrifice a lot to protect our lives and properties.

Kenya too should strengthen intelligence gathering and sharing with likeminded countries like the USA and the UK in order to compare notes and stop the terrorists before they hit us. We live in a globally connected world and terrorism has also gone international thus we should adopt international cooperation when dealing with this global menace. International terrorism like jihad which is advanced by Al Shabaab is no doubt a threat that is shared and whose responsibility we should shoulder as international community.

Al Shabaab too seems to have assumed global face in the way it recruits its candidates given that two among those who were killed were Caucasian and KDF think that one of the suspected terrorist was a Briton named Thomas Evans aka Abdul Hakim-something the Daily Mail of the UK confirmed as it reported that his mother admitted that Evans had joined jihad in Somalia.

Media Responsibility

The media also acted responsibly by denying the Al Shabaab publicity which they use to gain popularity and influence. The media desisted from alarmist reporting and should be commended for upholding ethical reporting. The resilience of Kenyans to bounce back after a tragedy should be told as forcibly as possible because we are resilient and no one can tell our story better than ourselves. As we remember Mpeketoni attacks one anniversary later, let us keep the families who lost loved ones and friends in Lamu in prayers.