afrol News, 18 January - Kenya’s security forces have raided the Eastleigh suburb dominated by Somalis after Friday’s violent protest in the capital against the deportation of a jailed Muslim cleric Abdullah el-Faisal.

Reports said some protesters carried flags identified with Somalia's hardline Islamist rebel group, al Shabaab, and there were reportedly mobs attacking Somalis in retribution for the mayhem.

Al Shabaab said on Sunday it was not behind the protest, but praised the marchers for taking up the cause of jailed cleric.

A Somali member of parliament, Ahmed Nur Ugas, said Kenya police were picking up people they considered to be Somalis, whether they had legitimate papers or not.

The Kenyan government has however blamed the violence on extremist youths exposed to foreign elements and assured Muslims in Kenya their religious freedom and civil liberties would be respected.

But some Somalis in Kenya fear they will all be tarred with the same brush, despite their warnings rebel sympathisers and hardline clerics were a growing cause of concern in Kenya.

Reports also suggested that al-Shabaab is planning to stage dedicated suicide bombing attacks in countries that are involved in the training of the government forces, but it was not clear if this will happen before or after the assault is launched.

The planned assault has been spearheaded by both the government and AMISOM and will be a major test for the Africa Union on whether it will succeed in taking over territory from the radical Islamists associated with Al Qaeda.

Previous attempts to restabilise Somali have been thwarted by radical group and clan differences that have led to the rise of militias in the horn of Africa state.

Somalia has had no effective central government since 1991 when warlords overthrew a long-time dictator and then plunged the country into anarchy and chaos.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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