Concerns grow over global reach of Somali militants
Kenya tightened security at all airports and border crossings on Tuesday as authorities warned of a potential attack.
Members of a Somalian Islamist group, who call themselves the Islamic party, display their weapons during the arrival of Somalia's new president Sheikh Sharif Ahmed in Mogadishu Feb. 7. Mr. Ahmed has asked militant groups to lay down their arms.
Mowlid Abdi/Reuters
As Somalia's new president and prime minister vow to uphold peace, evidence is emerging of the international reach of Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked extremist groups.
On Tuesday, officials in Kenya warned of an imminent attack by Somalia-based militants tied to Al Qaeda, reports The Standard, an English-language newspaper based in Kenya.
Agence France-Presse adds that Kenyan authorities, on alert for possible attacks, tightened security at all airports and border points Tuesday.
The heightened security underscores the continuing threat that militants pose to a new government struggling to bring order back to a country ravaged by 20 years of war, reports Xinhua, the official Chinese news agency.
In an interview yesterday with The Wall Street Journal, the new president asked militant groups to lay down their arms.
As the government struggles to maintain order inside the country, further evidence has emerged suggesting the global reach of militants trained in Somalia, reports the The Times (of London).
The militant migration works both ways, with British citizens traveling to Somalia to fight, reports Britain's Daily Telegraph.
A recent report in Foreign Policy magazine draws attention to how the threat from Somalia is spreading.