Hiiraan Online

They are death machines, trained to kill by Somalia’s al-Shabaab, which has been linked to the world’s most wanted terrorist — Osama bin Laden.

They roam the country freely after quietly sneaking back after their quest for fortunes in the lawless country came to naught.

This is the story of Kenyans lured to enlist with the terror group, which the US government says is a proxy for Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda.

Trained in guerrilla tactics, the use of deadly weapons, combat skills, endurance and other military drills, the Kenyans pose a security risk to the country.

Some have spent up to three years fighting for the ragtag movement in the jungles of Somalia.

However, in exclusive interviews with The Standard on Sunday, the men said they were never attracted to the movement’s ideology, but only sojourned to the neighbouring country in search of riches.

They say although they were fighting for a radical group, they were not jihadists, and refuse to compare themselves with other fighters from around the world who have joined al-Shabaab’s ranks.

The militia has fighters from Africa, the Middle East — including Afghanistan and Pakistan — and from as far away as the US and Australia. Many of the foreigners, especially Pakistanis, are trainers.

The men said dozens of Kenyan youth have joined the violent movement, which has imposed a form of sharia law in parts of Somalia where it rules with ruthlessness.

There were also children from central and southern Somalia enlisted in the militia. Some were orphaned by the war, separated from their families, abandoned or roaming the streets, and have therefore become targets for the recruiters.

The man said the militants were using children because they could easily be brainwashed into the war without asking questions, as opposed to adults. Scores of children and women not engaged in actual fighting were also serving as the militants’ informers.

Unicef Somalia’s Chief of Communication, Denise Shepherd-Johnson, said the recruitment of children was growing.

"We understand that thousands of children and young people are being trained in basic arms techniques as well as more sophisticated skills such as assassination, intelligence collection and use of improvised explosive devices," she said.

She said the majority of children are aged above 14 but there are cases of some as young as nine. Trainers are both Somalis and foreigners.

Many of the children are from central and southern Somalia. Some were orphaned by the war, separated from their families, abandoned or roaming the streets, and have therefore become targets for the recruiters.

Others were trying to assist their destitute families in the face of widespread destruction caused by more than 20 years of chaos.

"The number of bases and camps used to train these children is widespread and appears to be growing. The information that UN protection agencies have received from monitors on the ground indicates that the use of children in the fighting is widespread," she said in an email response to our enquiries.

Shepherd-Johnson confirmed testimonies of the Kenyan men, saying: "Brainwashing appears to be a significant ingredient in some of the recruitment techniques of the extremist anti-government groups, and this is fuelled by the inflow of radical ideas, as well as foreign fighters and trainers with a violent agenda."

She said sources have suggested some groups would even kill a parent who prevents their child from being recruited.

Others were trying to assist their destitute families in the face of widespread destruction caused by more than 20 years of chaos.

The returnees said they met scores of Kenyans there, while others joined them later. However, many are coming back after years fighting a war they never understood, and finding no happiness.

The revelations come hot on the heels of a UN report saying Kenyans account for about half of all foreigners fighting under al-Shabaab, who are recruited through a network operating in Nairobi.

The UN accused Kenya of failing to cooperate in enforcing an arms embargo against Somalia, and of training fighters for the Transitional Federal Government.

Al-Shabaab controls swathes of Somalia and the capital Mogadishu, where a fledgling Transitional Federal Government is struggling to gain a foothold with the help of the African Union.

In recent months, the African Union Mission to Somalia (Amisom) and government soldiers have been preparing for battle to reclaim Mogadishu, Kenyan youth still working for al-Shabaab will find themselves trapped in yet another bloody war in a foreign country.

"There were many of us. I went there because I was miserable at home," said one of the returnees, who said he was being paid $300 per month (about Sh21,000). But at times, they would go for months without pay and no one dared ask their superiors.

"They told us we were fighting enemies of Islam, mostly Ethiopians, Americans and Europeans. But whenever we went to fight, I did not see any foreigners. It was always Somalis against Somalis," said one of the returnees.

He added: "I realised people were being brainwashed so they could accept to fight for al-Shabaab. So I decided to quit."

Now, most of the returnees spend their time running away from the law at a time the Kenyan Government has declared to stop any al-Shabaab elements in the country.

They reveal how they were approached by agents working for the terrorist movement in northern Kenya, and readily accepted with hopes of escaping crippling poverty at home.

Somalia has had no working Government since 1990, when the then president Siad Barre was unseated from power. The country has since degenerated into a patchwork of fiefdoms controlled by violent groups and clans.

Efforts by friendly countries to restore a government, including a peace-building effort hosted by Kenya itself, have come to nothing.

Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said the force was investigating reports of Kenyans fighting for the terrorist movement, but had not arrested anyone directly linked with enlisting with al-Shabaab.

"It is a treasonable offence. In fact enlisting in a foreign military force is regarded as an act of aggression against your own country," said Kiraithe.

He said police were interested in nailing not just those who joined al-Shabaab, but also those who recruited them.

If the law catches up with them, they face jail terms of up to ten years. Kenya takes matters of enlisting in a foreign military outfit seriously, and has enacted laws which ban such practices.

According to the Penal Code (CAP 63), it is a criminal offence for a Kenyan to "accept or agree to accept any commission or engagement in the military, naval, air, police or other armed forces or service of any nature whatsoever."

Kenyans can only enlist in the military of a foreign state with the express authority of the President.

The Penal Code adds that anyone who induces another to do so "is guilty of an offence and is liable to imprisonment for 10 years." It only gives exclusion to those who do not enlist voluntarily.

Other police sources said scores arrested in a recent crackdown after Muslim youths rioted in Nairobi were helping with investigations. After the bloody confrontations, Internal Security Minister George Saitoti said al-Shabaab elements were involved in planning the riots.

Muslim leaders denied the claims, but others also came forward to denounce the demos.

"Some of those arrested are helping us to gather intelligence," said a senior police officer.

While leaders from northern Kenya did not want to discuss the matter, one confirmed youth had crossed over to fight in Somalia due to poverty. One leader, who did not wish to be named for fear of being targeted by al-Shabaab, agreed that those fighting in Somalia were not doing so for ideological reasons.

"They lack opportunities to earn a living, so they think they can join the group and make some money," he said.

However, he said in 2006 when the Islamic Courts Union had taken over Mogadishu and restored calm, some Kenyans joined its ranks as sympathisers.

"People felt that the courts were doing a good job. They wanted to go and help," he said.

However, al-Shabaab is itself an offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union, which broke up after a two-week onslaught by Ethiopian soldiers in 2009.