Horn of Africa on alert as suicide attacks threatened

THE supreme leader of Somalia’s powerful Islamist movement has purportedly authorised suicide attacks against “prominent” targets in Kenya and Ethiopia, the United States said.

As the Islamists and weak Somali government gird for war after the collapse of peace talks, the US embassies in Nairobi and Addis Ababa warned Americans “to use extreme” caution while in Kenya and Ethiopia, citing the threat.

They said they had information about “reports of terrorist threats emanating from extremist elements within Somalia, which target Kenya, Ethiopia, and other surrounding countries.”

“These threats specifically mention the execution of suicide explosions in prominent landmarks within Kenya and Ethiopia,” the embassies said in notices sent to US citizens in the two countries.

“American citizens are advised to remain vigilant and to use extreme caution when frequenting prominent public places,” said the warnings, issued as Nairobi prepares to host some 6,000 foreign visitors at a UN climate change conference.

An official with the US embassy in Nairobi said the warning was prompted by postings on Somali websites purporting to come from Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the Islamist supreme leader.

The statements attributed to Aweys, a hardline cleric designated a “terrorist” by the United States for alleged ties with al-Qaida, authorise attacks in Kenya and Ethiopia, the official said.

“They say that he condones suicide operations,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that Washington had not verified the authenticity of the threat but was taking it seriously.

Another official said no specific targets were identified for attack by the postings that referred to public areas where large numbers of people gather in Kenya, Ethiopia and unnamed other countries in the region.

Islamist officials in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, referred questions about the matter to Aweys, who could not immediately be reached for comment. Aweys has in the past denied any connection to terrorism and rejected US accusations that the Islamists are harbouring al-Qaida suspects wanted over the deadly 1998 bombings of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The US warning comes as the Islamists have declared “jihad” (holy war) on Ethiopia for allegedly sending thousands of troops to Somalia to back the government and accused Kenya of siding with Ethiopia.

Both Kenya and Ethiopia favour the deployment of regional peacekeepers — vehemently opposed by the Islamists — to help the government, whose limited authority is increasingly threatened.

The deteriorating situation in Somalia has sparked fears of an all-out war that could engulf the Horn of Africa in wider conflict, possibly drawing in Ethiopia and its arch-foe, neighbour Eritrea, accused of backing the Islamists.

Earlier this year, a covert US programme to support Somali warlords battling the Islamists for control of Mogadishu failed disastrously when the capital fell after months of fierce fighting.