Kenya: Shooting at Upscale Mall Leaves At Least 22 Dead

The question should be "which group is (*)(*)(*)(*)ing crazy ?"

A: The Muslim one.

 

Oh here we go...

Apparently Al Shabbab (the militant group that is running parts of Somalia and pissing off nearly everyone) claimed responsibility for the attack in retribution for Kenyan state actions inside Somalia in Oct 2011. Other countries have been trying to kick Al Shabbab's ass, for a long time, because Al Shabbab is making it impossible to do anything inside Somalia, and is a big part of the reason why Somalia is so (*)(*)(*)(*)ed up. Plenty of people want to invest or whatever, but Somalia is such a cluster (*)(*)(*)(*) that its totally unsafe unless you're a mercenary or a gangster. Thus, Kenya and some other countries went in to help fight these guys. And Kenya (*)(*)(*)(*)ed them up badly along the Kenyan border.

Since then, there have been attacks in Kenya, all the way south to Nairobi, but mostly along the border, where there's a huge refugee community and a big humanitarian crisis ongoing.
Al Shabbab have vowed to move the "battleground" from Somalia into Kenya. Keep in mind Westgate is an upmarket mall popular with lots of expats. It's a very big and vicious attack, which Al Shabbab seem to say is revenge. Moreover, it's symbolic. Symbolic of Kenyan wealth, Kenyan power, and as Al Shabbab see it, Kenyans selling out. The Kenyans will likely have to do something, since apparently they're just playing loops of the horrible footage on the TV there, and their president has vowed revenge. It's already a very touchy situation, but this could lead the whole thing into a new phase. Too soon to tell.

As usual religion is a subtext here, but it isn't the main motivation. There are layers and layers of bull(*)(*)(*)(*), and that's the bottom layer. It's almost always political, and if it's political, it's actually economic. Religion is the lowest level of bull(*)(*)(*)(*), the least likely to actually teach you anything about what's going on, but somehow its the only one people here seem to understand because it fits the simplest possible narrative. The narrative you should be discussing is the wider geopolitical implications, the posturing of the US and China in Africa, the role of states like Kenya in trying to stabilize Somalia, which is a key area in the region but completely (*)(*)(*)(*)ed and closed to investment, with everyone eyeing it.
China has been spending b-b-b-billions in Africa building roads and infrastructure trying to gain resource dominance and markets and labor and so on, and the US is in there scrapping, but as the US usually does it, it's more economic hitman stuff and behind the scenes investment and so on. Somalia is a key area for everyone but they can't touch it, so they send in mercenaries (Blackwateresque) to help "stabilize it for investment," and yeah, they probably didn't mind that the Kenyans were at work across the border.
That's honestly way more compelling and interesting than this "Muslims bad" nonsense. It's it's own situation, super complex with lots of big players, and a story you never read about.

Also shame on OP for posting Daily Mail to profit off people's ignorance when 39+ people are dead and more are in hiding. Shame on the hacky comments and the people who upvoted them who did zero research but just read "muslims" and "killing" and recycled the same (*)(*)(*)(*)ty jokes we've all heard for the last 10 years.
Especially kind of tasteless considering there are still people hiding in the damn mall.

 

Excellent analysis.. Thank you....

 

Thanks for a lot of the background info. But its still Muslims deciding that their ends are best achieved by killing innocent non-Muslims.

They, and their religion, rate no respect. I view your closing comments as hypocritically ignorant. Just plain internet-forum stupid.

 

@defenger: In order to save bandwidth I won't quote you here. That was an excellent analysis......up until you blamed the OP for simply posting an accurate article from a reputable source........are you saying that the terrorists didn't target non-Muslims? If so that defies numerous news sources I have seen regarding this incident.

 

You could replace Muslims with NATO and be accurate.

 

Daily Mail is hardly reputable. Al Shabaab targeted the mall because it would harm Kenyas tourist industry.
Kenya is at war with Al Shabaab. In war you try to hurt your enemies economy as well as morale.
That's what this was intended to do.

 

I bet they were Methodists.

 

The AQ based rebels seem to be able to take what they want from the ones we and our allies supply. So the fact we do not give them to AQ directly they will likely get them if they want them.

 

A war within a war.. What a bloody mess.

 

Yep turning into hell on earth for the people in the middle of all the different factions. I had posted a thread on it but no interest it seems. It all started because someone took a picture of a Isis fighter and he called his buddys to help. I do not like my picture taken either but not going to seize a town over it.
http://www.politicalforum.com/showthread.php?t=323298

 

Sorry if I "offended" anyone here. Its just the Dailymail is pretty raggy as far as real journalism goes. And of course they targeted non muslims, however anyone who simply states religion is the only motivator in this incident is foolish.

 

They asked people if they were Muslim, and shot the ones who weren't. What other factor was in play here?

 

But the terrorists targeted non-Muslims........that is a fact.....,and that is what the Daily Mail reported and the OP posted........don't blame the messenger just because you don't like the message......the truth is the truth......deal with it

 

The mail is a crappy rag but both versions are correct.
Al kebastards and other terrorist idiots target such places in an attempt to destroy governments by upsetting the ecconomy.
This equally applies to the Bali bombs.
It wasn't about killing haram tourists; it was about destroying the Indonesian economy; thus creating poverty and a place where they can get more recruits, desperate for a way out of that poverty.
They realise, the vast majority aren't educated enough to understand how it all happened in the first place.

What's to say? these terrorist morons are out for cash and power but using poorly educated, radicalised Muslims to do their dirty work for them.

You can't destroy the terror networks with wars, that just creates more of the same; you have to chop the head off.
That means snipers, not drones.

 

There is no oil in Kenya, this does not deserve a military response.

 

This group is allied with AQ. AQ we are arming in Syria... Shame on you for throwing a hissy fit and not dealing with reality.. No one is happy this happened. But pointing out the connections specially when they are obvious. SHAME ON OBAMA for wanting to arm these (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)s. We are Drone striking these guys in Somalia but arming them in Syria... WHY?????

 

Different tribes in Africa those who live in peace for centuries were made hostile toward each other by colonial countries . War games are played over this poor people , a real Age of Empires .

 

Al-Shabaab, al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia, claimed responsibility, and said it was not backing down. In a message on its Twitter feed, the group said "all Muslims" were escorted from the mall before the attack.

"When justice is denied, it must be enforced," it said in a tweet Sunday. "Kenyans were relatively safe in their cities before they invaded us & killed Muslims #Westgate

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/22/world/africa/kenya-mall-attack/index.html?hpt=hp_t1?hpt=hp_t1

So why are people attacking others in this thread saying its not about Religion or AQ? CNN seems to think otherwise.

 

Do you believe Al Shabab?

 

Kenya hits mark for commercial oil production

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/...eague/-/539546/1933304/-/kcdu85z/-/index.html

 

Why would they lie about their motive?

 

They have killed 59 and wounded 175.. Can you look at someone and tell the are Muslim?

 

Since there are muslims and Barry's relatives there, surely he will say or do something!

 

Only about 11% of the population of Kenya is Muslim.