Kenya on Alert over Somali Militants

Kenyan security agencies are on a high alert following reports that increasing numbers of the Al Qaeda-linked Somali militant group, LA Shabaab, are crossing the border into its territory.

The move comes came after Kenya’s internal security minister, George Saitoti, told reporters that Al Shabaab elements or their associates were involved in a January 15 demonstration in which Muslim youths protesting against plans to deport Jamaican hate-cleric Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal clashed with police in Nairobi.

Since last week, Kenyan authorities have detained over 2,000 people in a crackdown on illegal entrants from Somalia. Among those detained were over a dozen members of Somalia’s transitional federal parliament.

The country’s Immigration Ministry is also busy registering legitimate arrivals and deporting those without proper documents. [PE]