Israel reportedly helping Kenya in shopping mall siege

[King_David]

By Nicholas Soi and Robyn Dixon
September 22, 2013, 9:01 a.m.



NAIROBI, Kenya -- Israeli advisors were reported to be helping Kenya's government try to free hostages held by terrorist gunmen in an upscale shopping mall, after an attack that killed at least 59 people and wounded 175, but President Uhuru Kenyatta said the rescue attempt remained a domestic operation.


"For the time being, this remains an operation of the Kenyan security agencies. I thank all our international friends who have reached out to us and stood with us," Kenyatta said.

Kenyan and Israeli sources told news agencies Israelis were involved in the siege as it entered its second day, with occasional gunfire rattling out, as police and army units surrounded the Westgate shopping mall, where 10 to 15 gunmen were holed up with hostages.

"The Israelis have just entered and they are rescuing the hostages and the injured," a Kenyan security source told Agence France-Presse.
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http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-kenya-siege-20130922,0,3271146.story

[oberliner]

1. Was the mall targeted because it was owned by Israelis?

Or is that just a coincidence?

[King_David]

2. I think more because of Kenya nt

[oberliner]

3. Why that particular target?

You don't think the Israeli connection had anything to do with it?

[King_David]

4. Al Shabaab in Somalia

Al Shabaab in Somalia said its fighters were demanding Kenya pull out troops from its northern neighbor, where they have put the al Qaeda-affiliated group on the defensive in the past two years.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/22/us-kenya-attack-idUSBRE98K03V20130922

[oberliner]

5. Westgate Attack Underscores Al Shabaab’s Battle With Jews And Israel

In an inter­view with Al Jazeera on Mon­day, Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Abu­laziz Abu Mus­cab, said that in addi­tion to Kenya’s mil­i­tary involve­ment in Soma­lia, the ter­ror­ist group attacked the West­gate Mall in Nairobi because it is a place “where there are Jew­ish and Amer­i­can shops. So we have to attack them.”

Al Shabaab, the Al Qaeda-linked ter­ror­ist group that claimed respon­si­bil­ity for attack­ing the West­gate mall on Sat­ur­day, has pre­vi­ously declared an “open bat­tle” against Israel, which it deems the “oppress­ing Zion­ist entity,” and Jew­ish inter­ests in Africa.

http://blog.adl.org/international/westgate-attack-shabaabs-battle-jews-israel

[King_David]

6. Interesting ,

These terrorists should know better than to conflate the "Battle With Jews And Israel"...

They need some people on this forum to educate them.

[oberliner]

7. It is the same battle

At least as far as that terrorist group is concerned.

[King_David]

8. Yes , they don't agree with the DU gang

That there is no conflations.

[Alamuti Lotus]

9. That played a small part in their motivations, according to their own statements

Additionally, they say that the mall was targeted because it was an upper-class center of commerce frequented by Kenyan government figures, international diplomats, and affluent tourists. It was all of those things, anyway--now it's just a demolished landfill, picked clean by the looters. HSM wanted to strike where it hurt, just as the Kenyan and Ethiopian militaries have for years in their own country with impunity. To the best of my knowledge, they made seven key press releases during the siege in which their motivations were addressed and 'progress reports' issued. Keeping an official Twitter account active was an issue after the first couple days, apparently.

The remainder of this thread is a circle-jerk of the usual nonsense, but I thought your original question should be addressed.

[oberliner]

10. Which statements?

Can you link to one or two? Or at least point me towards a website or twitter account?