Kenya's Growing Militant Threat

Since the start of this year, Islamist militants have mounted a series of shootings and bombings in Kenya. The targets have ranged from market stalls and buses to restaurants and a beach resort. While many of these attacks have been comparatively small and unsophisticated, there are signs that terrorists are increasing their capabilities and escalating their tactics.
Theassaulton the town of Mpeketoni on 15 June was the deadliest attack in Kenya since the Westgate siege last September. At least 48 people died after gunmen entered the town, shooting people and setting fire to buildings and vehicles. A day later, the militants carried outanother attackon a nearby village, killing at least 15 people.
As has tended to be the case with terrorist incidents in Kenya, the response of the security forces and government has so far been inadequate. These two assaults on towns close to Lamu exposed the difficulties authorities are having in dealing with the worsening security situation. Indeed, despite the police deploying to the area in the hours after the Mpeketoni assault ended, the militants were able to mount a similar operation in the same area just 24 hours later.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for both these attacks in the Lamu area, but the Kenyan presidentblamedthem on ‘local political networks’ and claimed that al-Shabaab was not involved. This reluctance from senior government members to address the growing Islamist militant threat has been common.
The government has attempted to play down the peril and reassure its citizens that it is taking measures to improve security. However, there is little to suggest the government has had any success. In fact, the situation has deteriorated this year with Islamist militant groups appearing to have become better able to sustain a campaign of attacks in major urban areas.

More ---> thinkafricapress.com/kenya/growing-terrorist-threat-mpeketoni?utm_content=buffera1710&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer