The Somalia government and its citizens mourned the cowardly attack committed by at least six heavily armed al Shabaab militants on
Tuesday
that killed 21 people in DusitD2 hotel in Nairobi's posh Riverside area.
All the six al Shaitan or devil’s militants were confirmed dead. A seventh man said to have been among them in the planning, and had lunch with then at Oilibya, Limuru Road, is still being pursued by police. Let us hope he is nabbed to face charges. I refer to the group as al Shaitan or the Devil because it is a fitting name for them as they act at the behest of the Devil.
President Mohamed Farmaajo sent a condolence message to eulogise with Kenyans over the attack. He condemned the merciless attack and said the evil acts will only strengthen the ties between the two countries to redouble their efforts in defeating terrorism.
"I strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Nairobi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the government and the People of Kenya at this tragic time. Kenya is an important ally and a brotherly neighbour. Such heinous acts only serve to embolden our joint quest to vanquish terror," he said.
STATE OF FELICITY
Ordinary Somalis in Somalia know too well the pain and loss that comes with al Shaitan attacks, which carries almost daily similar or much worse and grandeur attacks that sometimes claims hundreds of victims than the DusitD2 Hotel attack.
Somalis feel the pain that Kenyans go through and genuinely sympathise with them. In fact some in their messages of sympathy wondered why al Shaitan alias al Shabaab would target civilians in Nairobi who have no much experience in the terror spread by al Shaitan and urge them to instead localise their bloody campaign in Somalia where the public have gained enough experience in dealing with the trauma that comes with their evil acts.
No wonder ordinary Somalis move around in Mogadishu in a state of ablution or wudhuu. This is a state of felicity or holiness that every Muslim is required to undertake before saying his or her prayers. Basically, you intend to take ablution or wudhuu by washing your face three times, your hands three times, wiping your forehead three times and lastly washing your legs three times.
If you die in that state, then you die while in state of felicity. This is the Somalis way of preparing themselves for any eventuality of al Shaitan bloody campaign. Psychologically, it’s as if the people have accepted death is with them and prepare to die while in a state of felicity.
Somalis, especially from Mogadishu who have borne the brunt of al Shaitan urged the group to stop targeting unsuspecting civilians from other countries and bring their evils home in Mogadishu as they've always done before. I really hope al Shaitan heeds to the advice.
TERRORISM IS NOT ISLAMIC
Somalis took to social media to share their sombre messages and shock after the horrible news of the attack broke out. It is human nature to feel the pain of other human beings
and to console and support them whenever they are in a life-threatening situation.
It is important to note that victims of the inhumane attack were from different religion, tribe, ethnicity and nationality, going about their normal businesses when the terrorists broke their peace.
Kenyan Somali businessman elder Yasin Jama, who spoke to Citizen TV, rightly shared the sombre mood amongst families that lost their loved ones. His son survived but two of his friends never made it. He said the attackers had nothing to do with Islam because there is nowhere in the religion where Allah orders for the murder of innocent people.
Terrified survivors of the Nairobi incident also shared with media their horrible encounters with the brainwashed attackers from Kenya and Somalia. I call them al Shaitan because it is a fitting name for such mind boggling cowardly attack against unarmed civilians.
The saddest part is that three or most likely four of the attackers are believed to be Kenyan nationals, two of who have been confirmed to hail from Nyeri and Kiambu. This sends chills in our spines and confirms our worst fears that the terror group has sleeper cells in this beautiful country called Kenya. This shows how far the militants will go in spreading their terror as far as Kenya hundreds of miles from their Somalia base where they plot their evil acts.
BRAINWASHING
It is important to note that the group targets new Muslim recruits who might not have a strong Islamic faith and knowledge that are then brainwashed to join and believe in the terror campaign. Even in Somalia, the group is known to target underage children for recruitment because they have limited Islamic knowledge. The adults who join them in Somalia are either mentally retarded or illiterate because no sane Muslim who has a sound knowledge of Islam will join a murderous gang like al Shabaab.
As we mourn our dead, let us also pray for the wounded to quickly regain their health. We should never accept to be divided by terrorism. This is the moment for Kenyans to unite, be strong and patriotic.
The public must continue to cooperate with authorities and share crucial information about terror suspects hiding amongst us so that they can be flushed out before they commit another horrendous attack. This is the only way the seventh man on the run can be arrested.
I also loud President Uhuru Kenyatta’s firm statement that the government will hunt down all those involved in the planning and financing of the heinous attack. No one should be spared in order to teach a lesson to corrupt individuals, who might have been compromised or bought by the merciless agents of death. We must act fast and firm if we are to defeat this merciless gang that taints the peaceful religion of Islam.