Kenya: Suspicion As U.S. Marines Hit Town
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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
November 16, 2006
Posted to the web November 17, 2006
Victor Obure
Nairobi
United States marines started a joint venture with the Kenya military along
the border with Somalia under a cloud of suspicion.
The unexpected guests caused a stir in the erstwhile quiet Garissa in their
convoy of trucks loaded with sophisticated military and engineering equipment.
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North Eastern PC, Mr Kiritu Wamae, said that the troops were on a mission to
rehabilitate and construct 10 bore holes in Garissa, fuelling speculations over
their actual mission in the remote province. Coincidentally, the marines
arrived just when the US Government had sounded alarm over possible terrorist
attack in the country amid reports that a senior official of the increasingly
powerful Union of Islamic Courts in Somalia was harbouring some of the
masterminds of the 1998 bombings of American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es
Salaam.
Relevant Links East Africa
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The return of the marines in the town has brewed controversy and panic among
locals with some alleging that the Americans might be using the province as the
launching pad for their war on terror. However, Wamae said the marines were
purely there for humanitarian aid and not on a reconnaissance mission.
He was forced to hold an impromptu baraza to demystify the negative
perception locals had over the presence of the soldiers, but was quick to
reaffirm his much criticised remarks that some local youths were being
recruited for mercenary activities in Somalia, at a fee.
The last time the marines visited Garissa, they hurriedly left after their
presence irked the local religious leaders, who suspected that they were spying.
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