Al-Shabaab’s attack on Nairobi, Kenya’s Westgate Mall was explicitly described by the militants as retaliation for Kenya’s military invasion of southern Somalia, a territory they control.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is trying to spin it differently, however, saying the siege proves al-Shabaab’s graduation to an international faction with international capabilities, and pushing the idea that the group could launch comparable attacks inside the United States.
But is hitting neighboring Kenya, something al-Shabaab has been doing regularly, the same as organizing a major attack on the other side of the planet? For the Somali government, the answer is yes, but since they have been hyping the “threat” of al-Shabaab for years to court international subsidies, it’s hard to take their word for it uncritically.
Still and all, there will be a market for it, especially with Rep. Peter King (R – NY) already pushing the idea of ethnic Somalis being a threat to national security, and stories of Somali-Americans going to fight in Somalia continue to be hyped.
The reality, however, is that al-Shabaab has never shown capability outside of the region, and has successfully launched a few major attacks in African nations which have sent troops to Somalia, but never shown up overseas.
Another asshole who wants the US to fight his own people, add his but to the Syrian rebels.