In 2011, it was revealed in WikiLeaks cables that the United Nations special envoy to Somalia was so concerned about rebels linked to al-Qaeda that he urged the United States to initiate strikes against targets in the region. 'Stating that the threat is critical, Ould-Abdallah urged targeted operations on terrorists in Somalia.' The British proved slow on the point, though the director-general of MI5, Jonathan Evans, warned about threats in 2010.
These have not proven to be hollow. Sixty-seven individuals lie dead after the President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta formally declared the siege over. The attackers on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi were linked to a Somali based outfit calling itself al-Shabaab, a standing affiliate of al-Qaeda operating in the Horn of Africa. They have been said by Kenyan army chief Julius Karangi to be an eclectic following of recruits. 'We have sufficient intelligence that this is global terrorism.'
British and US connections have been suggested. This is not as surprising as it seems. Samantha Lewthwaite, married to the 7 July suicide bomber Jermaine Lindsay, has been elusive in East Africa after allegedly being involved in a streak of bombings in Mombasa. Her presence looms, though a direct link has not been proven. As do, it has been suggested, the Minnesota Martyrs, a US based Somali group which has been recruiting in the state.
Outfits like al-Shabaab tend to find local areas of recruitment in Somalia dry. Their market lies elsewhere, among the 1.5 million Somalis who live outside the country. The theme of radicalisation rings better from a distance.
The reasoning behind 'recruitment drives' varies. The imagery of holy war and the trammelling of holy sacred land by the enemy are powerful, though not always accurate. Drone-warfare and Western involvement stemming from Yemen to Waziristan figure highly on the list. Videos are released showing recruitment and imminent glorious death. As for the attack on the Westgate shopping mall, Kenya's involvement in targeting al-Shabaab in Somalia and creating a buffer was seen as the trigger point.
Jihadi tourism is big business, oiled by a global recruit base from which various diasporas can be tapped. In the Somali instance, investigations have taken place in Minnesota, home to 32,000 Somalis in what has been termed 'Little Mogadishu'. The FBI has been particular keen on the Minneapolis-Mogadishu link, have been involved in a six-year investigation called Operation Rhino. The US Attorney for Minnesota has an estimate that