Police arrests more than 130 foreigners in security swoop

Xinhua
Tuesday, July 10, 2012

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Kenyan police have arrested 133 foreigners in a major security swoop as the east African nation enhances security amid terrorism threats across the country.

Nairobi regional police commander Anthony Kibuchi said on Monday the illegal migrants among them two Pakistanis and one Briton, 81 Somalis, 47 Ethiopians and two Sudanese were arrested on Sunday night in an operation aimed at getting rid of aliens residing in the East African nation.

"They will appear before various courts today and tomorrow (Tuesday) with the offence of being in the country illegally," Kibuchi said on Monday.

He said the suspects were arrested from various Nairobi residential estates in an operation dubbed, 'Fagia Wageni' (Get rid off visitors).

"An operation Fagia Wageni was mounted in different parts of Nairobi and the following nationals were needed – 81 Somalis, 47 Ethiopians, two Pakistanis, one Sudanese and one Briton," Kibuchi said.

The East African nation has enhanced security measures across the country to thwart terror threats being mounted by Al-Shabaab blamed for grenade and landmine attacks on Kenyan.

Last week, President Mwai Kibaki sent out a stern warning to terrorists and criminals bent on destabilizing the country and vowed to mobilize the necessary resources and manpower it wipe them out.

Kibaki said his government will do everything possible to safeguard citizens and their property and emphasized that peace and security remained key ingredients of the country’s development agenda.

"We will complete the work we began in stabilizing the neighbouring state of Somalia. We owe it to ourselves and the people of Somalia," Kibaki said as militia from the Horn of Africa nation continue to attacks Kenyans in key cities and towns especially in northern region.

Kenyan authorities on July 6 also introduced tough security measures in the wake of terrorism attacks targeting key cities and towns particularly in northern region across the East African nation.

Acting Internal Security Minister Yusuf Haji said over 700 new police officers have been deployed in northeast region where Somali militants, Al-Shabaab, have been carrying out landmine and grenade attacks including abduction of foreigners.

"We have made special arrangements in stepping up security and this involves more security personnel who have been deployed in northern region.

"We have also resolved to enhance security during church functions," Haji told journalists in Nairobi.

The raft measures come as authorities said they are questioning over 30 people in connection with the twin churches attacks which killed at least 17 people and injured more than 65 others in northern Kenya.

The country has been subjected to successive explosives attacks by Al-Shabaab operatives in the country following the onslaught by Kenyan soldiers on the Al-Shabaab in Somalia after the militia staged a series of attacks along the Kenyan coast.

The recent church attacks incident comes amid heightened security in Nairobi after Somali insurgents threatened reprisal attacks in Kenya if her soldiers who launched cross border incursions in October last year do not leave the Horn of Africa nation.

The militant group has also come under pressure from Uganda, Burundi and Sierra Leone soldiers who recently pushed out them out of the outskirts of Somali capital Mogadishu and other key regions they used to control two years ago.

Since the Kenya military incursion into Somalia several attacks believed to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa and Dadaab districts of northern Kenya even as the military reports gains against the Islamist group by capturing their military bases and killing scores of them.

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