The BBC News Screamed today:
Two Blasts in Kenyan Capital http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/12/uk-kenya-explosion-idUKBRE89B14I20121012
Twin blasts shake Kenyan capital Nairobi bbc.in/Ou4bRd
As soon as I RTed this news on Twitter, I got angry commentaries from fellow Nairobians on how foreign media exaggerates such incidents, which have really caused no real harm to life or property.
"Such irresponsible reporting. Headline sounds like they were massive bombs.", said a tweeter."
" only wondering the impact of the News - BBC exaggerated." tweeted another...
RT @SokoAnalyst: Shake? Really? RT @AKenyanGirl: ?????!!!" RT @BBCAfrica Twin blasts shake Kenyan capital http://t.co/togrIsWQ
In less than a few hours after the blasts in the Eastliegh residential area of Nairobi, there seem to be baffled commentaries from foreign reporters. The explosions either didn't go as planned, or they were planned to be harmless. A couple of low-intensity bombs never really caused any great deal of loss of life in the residential area which has significant Somali population.
I wonder, Was it due to a flawed bomb design? Had the explosions took place full-fledged (if so planned), or was it that Nairobi residents were just plain lucky and the plans failed. Are we safe? Or is it that we have been so-far on the good side of the Bomber's magnanimity to cause no harm? They do seem to be operating at will, often just frightening us with some sound and light, but a terrorist group like Al Shabaab must surely have the wherewithal for much larger danger. Or are these blasts just a trial run (dry-run) for a larger operation by the terrorists?
Will the failed attacks have the potential to provide information that would help in cornering the terrorists group and their sympathizers in Kenya? What have preliminary examinations revealed for similar blasts earlier? Can similar explosions at a later date have the potential to cause a great number of casualties and major damage.
May the policeman who was injured in the blasts recover fast. I hope an inquiry would be held for more clues, and results would be declared to the public for confidence measures. At least measures of what we should or should not do to be more cautious should be educated to the general public.
It is important to remember that this is not the first time such mysterious blasts have happened in Nairobi this year. I hope the officials have not taken the failed blasts lightly, like my twitter friends, and would take action against this. Previously, the following major terrorist attacks have been reported recently in Kenya: <ref : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrorist_incidents,_January_-_June_2012>
- 1st Jan 2012 - Suspected Al Shabaab militants fired on New Year revellers in two bars in northeastern Kenya on Sunday, killing 5 people and injuring at least 28. In a separate attack at the Dadaab refugee camp, unidentified gunmen shot dead a member of the local security committee
- 12th Jan 2012- Suspected members of the Somali militant group Al Shabaab attacked a police camp in the city of Gerille in Wajir District, about 7 km from the border with Somalia. Around 100 attackers swarmed the village and the camp, throwing grenades into bars and a church and killing at least 7 people, including four policemen. They abducted three others, two of which are reported to be members of the police. After the raid the group confirmed it was behind the attacks which were in retaliation of the "aggressive Kenyan invasion" in Somalia. The rebels planned to identify the prisoners later.
- 10th March 2012 - At least four grenades were thrown at a bus station in the Kenyan capital by unidentified attackers, killing 6 people and injuring almost 70 more. Police sources confirmed 4 people were still missing after the blasts and several of the injured are in critical condition. The Somali Al-Shabaab group is suspected of being behind the attack, as well as other recent bombings inside Kenya in response to Operation Linda Nchi.
- 31st March 2012 - At least one person was killed and more than 20 injured after two explosion in and around the coastal city of Mombasa. The bombings targeted a Christian meeting and a bar and were the first attacks to hit the popular tourist destination. Most recent bombings in the country have occurred close to the border with Somalia and are the work of Al-Shabaab.
- 29th April 2012 - A bomb exploded near a church in the Kenyan capital, killing one and injuring at least ten others. The city has been hit by a series of similar attacks since late 2011, with the government blaming the Somali group al-Shabaab for orchestrating them
- 1st July 2012: Masked militants attacked worshipers with hand grenades and automatic gunfire at two churches in the northern Kenyan city of Garissa, killing at least 18 and injuring dozens more. Garissa has been the site of several attacks, most of which Kenyan authorities blame on groups allied to or sympathetic with the Somali organization Al-Shabaab.
- 12th Sep 2012: At least two suicide bombers struck at the entrance to a building where newly-elected Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Kenyan Foreign Minister Sam Ongeri were holding a press conference. Five people were killed in the attacks, including 3 soldiers. The militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility
- 30th Sep 2012: Two police officers were shot to death in the northern city of Garissa, hours after unknown assailants threw a grenade at a church during a Sunday school session. One child was killed and three others wounded in the first incident. Authorities suspected that the Somali group Al-Shabaab was behind the attacks.
Wondering, are we the residents of Kenya sitting ducks for the terrorists, who seem to be attacking at will with regular frequency. If I weren't an Indian used to terrorist threat in my everyday life, I'd probably be as nervous and alarmed as the BBC News reporters!
