Kenya bus attack "linked to Islamic State"December 25, 2015 - 12:17 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Kenya's police chief, Joseph Boinnet, has said al-Shabab militants behind this week's thwarted bus attack were linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, BBC News reports. Boinnet said al-Shabab, the Somalia-based Islamist group, had split in two - one faction remaining loyal to al-Qaeda and the other to IS. On Monday, December 21, Muslims protected fellow Christian passengers when their bus was ambushed near the Somali border. The actions of the passengers on the bus on its way from the capital, Nairobi, to Mandera, were widely hailed, with one local politician saying it showed "a sense of patriotism and belonging to each other." The police chief, giving his new year message, urged Kenyans to remain vigilant as he said that there were about 100 al-Shabab fighters operating in the north-east of the country, Kenya's Standard newspaper reports. "Shopping malls, entertainment spots, restaurants and places of worship... are potential soft targets," he is quoted as saying. Al-Shabab is currently battling to keep the loyalty of its fighters as IS tries to gain a foothold in East Africa, the BBC's Africa security correspondent Tomi Oladipo reports. It has historically been connected to al-Qaeda but in October Sheikh Abdulqadir Mumi, a prominent former "spiritual leader" and recruiter for al-Shabab, declared allegiance to IS. It is not clear how many followers he has taken with him. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |