370 killed in Kenya since KDF intervened in Somalia 2011

At least 370 people have been killed and over 1,075 others injured in terrorist attacks since October 2011 when Kenya took the war against Al-Shabab terror group in Somalia, according to an analysis of reports by The Standard.

This translates to the terrorists killing one person every three days on average or that one terrorist attack has been occurring somewhere in Kenya after every 11 days since October 2011 since the start of Operation Linda Nchi.

This gives a glimpse into the human cost of the war against terror. The newspaper sought official police statistics to dispute or corroborate our independent findings, but a letter sent to the Inspector General of Police requesting for the numbers remained unanswered by the time of going to Press.

The latest attack on August 4, which was largely under-reported where about eight armed men hurled grenades at the Mandera County Government offices, marked the 100th successful attack in the country since October 2011.

The Mandera attack happened weeks into the first anniversary of the Westgate attack in which 68 people were killed in one of the deadliest attacks under the Uhuru administration and over 175 others injured.

Police find ID on suspect linked to terror The other significant attack has been the recent Lamu massacre where about 100 Kenyans were shot dead or their throats slit in what is one of Kenya’s worst orgy of violence.

Among the victims include a sitting member of Parliament, a pastor who was praying for hunger victims in a Garissa church, and a child sitting on her mother’s laps, among hundreds of Kenyans from all walks of life.

Financially, the war has also cost the country significantly. Figures in the public domain show that Kenya has spent over Sh26 billion and this will rise after the cost of equipment is fully factored in.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), under which the Kenyan troops are now fighting, is also spending billions. For instance, Amisom pays Sh4.3 million (US$50,000) to beneficiaries of Kenyan soldiers killed in Somalia alongside Sh88,480 (US$1,028)per month in allowances to thousands of soldiers serving in Somalia. The government argues that the cost of not fighting Somalia would be steeper on the economy

Source: The standard