State Dept. Cautions Terrorist Groups Could Be Planning Attack In Nairobi by Diana Stancy Correll - Military Times
The State Department is warning that violent extremist groups could be scheming an attack in Nairobi, Kenya — a warning that comes weeks after al-Shabab militants attacked U.S. and Kenyan forces in Manda Bay, Kenya in January.
“Terrorist groups may be plotting an attack against a major hotel in Nairobi,” the State Department said in a security alert Thursday. “The exact hotel has not been identified, but it is believed to be a hotel popular with tourists and business travelers.”
Though the State Department did not identify specific violent extremist groups, multiple terrorist groups exist in Africa, including al-Shabab and ISIS. According to the Counter Extremism Project, a non-profit international policy organization that works to counter extremism, al-Shabab is the most vibrant extremist group within Kenya.
AFRICOM claims there are approximately 5,000 to 7,000 al-Shabab militants in Somalia, and an average of 650 to 800 U.S. forces in Somalia at any given time…