HENOK MERHATSIDK 1.pdf - Addis Ababa University

Terrorist Interdiction Program (TIP), Personal Identification secure comparison and
evaluation system (PISCES), Makes Kenya a high priority partner along with Iraq, Pakistan,
and Yemen (Ploch, 2010: 16-22). Another program launched by US the counter terrorism in
East Africa is (EARSI), under which:
Fostering regional counter terrorism efforts, build partner capacity, and
diminish support for violent extremism. In 2003, the Bush administration
announced the creation of the east African counter terrorism capabilities
in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia Kenya (Ploch, 2010:16-30).
The most famous force which is fighting terrorism in East Africa is (The combined Joint
Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) and its mission is “detecting, disrupting and
ultimately defeating trans- national terrorist groups operating in the region” and for US
officials “indentifying and destroying the terrorist threat before it reaches our borders” is a
proactive action. CJTF-HOA’s headquarter is Camp Lemonier in Djibouti, and has
temporary operating locations in Kenya and Uganda. (Ploch, 2010: 26-29). However, the US
aim of fighting terrorism in east Africa (Kenya) abused by Kenyan forces for example “Some
rights activists have accused Kenya’s Anti Terror Police Unit (ATPU) of arbitrary arrest and
disappearances.” Muslim groups in predominantly Christian Kenya have repeatedly accused
the Kenyan government of using anti-terrorism measures to persecute Muslim communities
(Ploch, 2000: 37). Despite Kenyan government effort in fighting terrorism and US support of
anti terrorism war, Kenya still, witnessed terrorist attacks. Its porous boarder, with Somalia
and along its coast line and being a home to 350,000 Somali refugees are among others the
causes of its vulnerability. Likewise, the presence of Al -Shabaab in Kenyan territory, there
are some information that Kenyan security forces clashed with Al- Shabaab forces inside
Kenya. The ever growing awash of small arms in the region and the existence of piracy in the
region threatened the Mombasa port. Besides, the accusations of Kenyan Muslim
community, on the Kenyan government, as its counter terrorism effort are discriminatory
(Ploch, 2010: 50-54).
Bjørn Møller in his part argued that Islamic fundamentalists have strong hold in Sudan and
they are now changing their site to Somalia and Kenya, and this is probably harvested
additional force for their terrorist agenda. For him, 1998 is the first year which has data for
international as well as internal terrorism. The 1998 attacks on the US embassies in Kenya
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