Al-Shabaab attacks shopping mall in Kenya, 39+ dead (including Kenyan president family members)
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(Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday, killing at least 39 people including close relatives of Kenya's president and children, in an attack claimed by the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab.
Shooting continued hours after the initial assault as troops surrounded the Westgate mall and police and soldiers combed the building, hunting the attackers shop by shop. A police officer inside the building said the gunmen were barricaded inside a Nakumatt supermarket, one of Kenya's biggest chains.
"We got three bodies from this shop," said volunteer Vipool Shah, 64, standing a dozen meters from the supermarket entrance and pointing to a children's shoe shop where blood lay in pools. (? damn smh)
Shah turned to a nearby burger bar where piped music still played and food lay abandoned. "And a couple of bodies here."
The attack appeared designed to achieve maximum global impact by targeting a place frequented by Westerners as well as Kenyans.
France said two of its citizens were dead, the U.S. State Department said it had reports that American citizens had been injured, and Britain said its nationals had undoubtedly been affected.
Al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda and is battling Kenyan and other African peacekeepers in Somalia, had repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of the Horn of Africa country.
"The Kenyan govt (government) is pleading with our Mujahideen (holy warriors) inside the mall for negotiations," the group said under its official Twitter handle @HSM_Press. "There will be no negotiations whatsoever at #Westgate."
Another al Shabaab tweet read: "For long we have waged war against the Kenyans in our land, now it's time to shift the battleground and take the war to their land."
President Uhuru Kenyatta said more than 39 people had been killed, among them close members of his own family, and more than 150 others wounded.
"We have overcome terrorist attacks before. We will defeat them again," he said in a sombre televised address, promising to hunt down and punish the perpetrators.
The assault was the single biggest attack in Kenya since al Qaeda's east Africa cell bombed the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing more than 200 people. In 2002, the same militant cell attacked an Israeli-owned hotel on the Kenyan coast and tried to shoot down an Israeli jet in a coordinated attack.
Kenyan forces first entered Somalia two years ago to try to stem incursions by al Shabaab.
Al Shabaab, which Kenya blames for shootings, bombings and grenade attacks against churches and the security forces, had threatened before to strike Westgate, a mall popular with the city's expatriates, as well as other soft targets such as nightclubs and hotels known to be popular with Westerners.
One woman leaving the building told a journalist that one of the attackers had told all Muslims to leave the area. Survivors told Reuters at least one of the attackers was a woman.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/21/us-kenya-attack-idUSBRE98K03V20130921
still hostages apparently
Early Sunday morning in Kenya -- 12 hours after a deadly shooting attack left at least 39 people dead in an upscale mall in the capital Nairobi -- gunmen from the armed Somali group al-Shabab remained holed up inside with an unknown number of hostages, according to The Associated Press.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/21/gunmen-open-fireatnairobismostupscalemall.html
The Somali group confirmed to Al Jazeera that it was behind the deadly attack, which began shortly after noon local time Saturday, after posting a series of ominous statements on Twitter.
lol, this ? century i swear
for those wondering about the Al-Qaeda affiliation:
On February 9, 2012, Mukhtar Abu al-Zubair 'Godane' announced in a fifteen-minute video message that Al-Shabaab would be joining the Islamist militant terrorist organization al-Qaeda, under the leadership of Ayman al-Zawahiri.
In response to Godane's announced name change and merger with al-Qaeda, all other Shabaab top leaders called a conference in Baidabo.[216] They refused to adopt the new name (al-Qaeda in East Africa) and they agreed on a new policy, focusing entirely on domestic issues. No mention any more of any international struggle. One significant policy, is to form a national, independent Shuria of Islamic clerics, which means also independent of Al-Qaeda. With it, they seem to try to remove some obstacles for reaching an entente with their Sufi opponents, and to avoid getting targeted by US drones.[217][218] Aways later declared that:"Al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda are merely a small part of the larger Islamic group and al-Qaeda's ideology should not be viewed as the sole, righteous path for Islam."[219]
fwiw
(plainclothes cop)
Shooting continued hours after the initial assault as troops surrounded the Westgate mall and police and soldiers combed the building, hunting the attackers shop by shop. A police officer inside the building said the gunmen were barricaded inside a Nakumatt supermarket, one of Kenya's biggest chains.
"We got three bodies from this shop," said volunteer Vipool Shah, 64, standing a dozen meters from the supermarket entrance and pointing to a children's shoe shop where blood lay in pools. (? damn smh)
Shah turned to a nearby burger bar where piped music still played and food lay abandoned. "And a couple of bodies here."
The attack appeared designed to achieve maximum global impact by targeting a place frequented by Westerners as well as Kenyans.
France said two of its citizens were dead, the U.S. State Department said it had reports that American citizens had been injured, and Britain said its nationals had undoubtedly been affected.
Al Shabaab, which has links to al Qaeda and is battling Kenyan and other African peacekeepers in Somalia, had repeatedly threatened attacks on Kenyan soil if Nairobi did not pull its troops out of the Horn of Africa country.
"The Kenyan govt (government) is pleading with our Mujahideen (holy warriors) inside the mall for negotiations," the group said under its official Twitter handle @HSM_Press. "There will be no negotiations whatsoever at #Westgate."
Another al Shabaab tweet read: "For long we have waged war against the Kenyans in our land, now it's time to shift the battleground and take the war to their land."
President Uhuru Kenyatta said more than 39 people had been killed, among them close members of his own family, and more than 150 others wounded.
"We have overcome terrorist attacks before. We will defeat them again," he said in a sombre televised address, promising to hunt down and punish the perpetrators.
The assault was the single biggest attack in Kenya since al Qaeda's east Africa cell bombed the U.S. embassy in Nairobi in 1998, killing more than 200 people. In 2002, the same militant cell attacked an Israeli-owned hotel on the Kenyan coast and tried to shoot down an Israeli jet in a coordinated attack.
Kenyan forces first entered Somalia two years ago to try to stem incursions by al Shabaab.
Al Shabaab, which Kenya blames for shootings, bombings and grenade attacks against churches and the security forces, had threatened before to strike Westgate, a mall popular with the city's expatriates, as well as other soft targets such as nightclubs and hotels known to be popular with Westerners.
One woman leaving the building told a journalist that one of the attackers had told all Muslims to leave the area. Survivors told Reuters at least one of the attackers was a woman.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/21/us-kenya-attack-idUSBRE98K03V20130921
still hostages apparently
Early Sunday morning in Kenya -- 12 hours after a deadly shooting attack left at least 39 people dead in an upscale mall in the capital Nairobi -- gunmen from the armed Somali group al-Shabab remained holed up inside with an unknown number of hostages, according to The Associated Press.
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/9/21/gunmen-open-fireatnairobismostupscalemall.html
The Somali group confirmed to Al Jazeera that it was behind the deadly attack, which began shortly after noon local time Saturday, after posting a series of ominous statements on Twitter.
lol, this ? century i swear
for those wondering about the Al-Qaeda affiliation:
On February 9, 2012, Mukhtar Abu al-Zubair 'Godane' announced in a fifteen-minute video message that Al-Shabaab would be joining the Islamist militant terrorist organization al-Qaeda, under the leadership of Ayman al-Zawahiri.
In response to Godane's announced name change and merger with al-Qaeda, all other Shabaab top leaders called a conference in Baidabo.[216] They refused to adopt the new name (al-Qaeda in East Africa) and they agreed on a new policy, focusing entirely on domestic issues. No mention any more of any international struggle. One significant policy, is to form a national, independent Shuria of Islamic clerics, which means also independent of Al-Qaeda. With it, they seem to try to remove some obstacles for reaching an entente with their Sufi opponents, and to avoid getting targeted by US drones.[217][218] Aways later declared that:"Al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda are merely a small part of the larger Islamic group and al-Qaeda's ideology should not be viewed as the sole, righteous path for Islam."[219]
fwiw
(plainclothes cop)
Comments
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Damn.
Always 3 sides to a story though.
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alright, so i guess the question is, if the first article is correct, is "was this about the close relatives of Kenya's president and children" part or just creating havoc?
also, call me nuts but i fail to see how this kind of ? does ANYTHING to make your organization look good, be you al-Shabaab or whoever.
side note: is it wrong that whenever i see security personnel running around with folding-stock rifles with the stocks folded, the first thing i think is, "maybe you should unfold that ? so you can shoot accurately?" -
Damn very cowardly attack. If they really hate the Kenyan govt so much, attack the Kenyan forces directly. I hope Al-Shabab gets bombed mercilessly after this, I know the world will support it
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U never know this could be retaliatory based on something similar happening to the shabab mofos
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what are they trying to achieve with attacks like this? how will shooting civilians in a mall going to further their cause?
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kingblaze84 wrote: »Damn very cowardly attack. If they really hate the Kenyan govt so much, attack the Kenyan forces directly. I hope Al-Shabab gets bombed mercilessly after this, I know the world will support itU never know this could be retaliatory based on something similar happening to the shabab mofos
On 21 September 2013, 10 yet unidentified gunmen attacked the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, fatally shooting at least 30 people, according to the Kenyan President, and wounding about 150 more in a mass shooting. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the incident, many media outlets suspected al-Shabaab responsibility in line with their warnings following Operation Linda Nchi. Similarly, their Twitter account blamed Kenya for inviting the incident. As of the morning of September 22, the attack is still ongoing and hostages are being held.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westgate_centre_shootings
Operation Linda Nchi[48] ("Protect the country";[49] Swahili: Linda Nchi[50]) is the codename for a co-ordinated military operation between the Somalian military, the Kenyan military, the Ethiopian military, the French military, and allegedly[clarification needed] the United States military that began on 16 October 2011, when troops from Kenya crossed the border into the conflict zones of southern Somalia.[51] The soldiers were in pursuit of Al-Shabaab militants that are alleged to have kidnapped several foreign tourists and aid workers inside Kenya.[52] According to the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, the operation represents one of the final stages in the Islamist insurgency of the Somali Civil War.[53]
A leaked 2010 cable detailing a meeting between the TFG (transitional Somali gov't) and the United States government (USG) states that "[TFG President] Sharif offered a qualified "yes" when asked if he supported the [Government of Kenya's (GOK)] Lower Juba initiative"
On 17 October, media reported that Somalian Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces had taken control of the town of Qoqani. Kenyan air support reportedly assisted in the battle, with attack helicopters bombarding Al-Shabaab positions. Some reports also suggested involvement by the United States military, though Somalian and Kenyan officials alluded only to Kenyan participation in the clash.
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Air Force has been sharing surveillance data with the Kenyan military that it gathered via unarmed MQ-9 Reaper drones flying out of Arba Minch in southern Ethiopia. Also known as "hunter drones", the planes have been used for intelligence activities in Somalia and Yemen and also possess the ability to transport missiles and laser-guided bombs.[71]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Linda_Nchi
as a side note,
American jihadi Omar Hammami was murdered "in cold blood," a Somalia-based Islamic center said, backing up reports that the militant from Alabama was killed Thursday by his rivals within the Somali Islamic extremist group al-Shabab.
IMHO this Omar "Al-Amriki" cat was basically the most well-spoken and charismatic of all the American Mujaheddin types. LOL @ your ? movement killing off its own Fred Hampton. al-Shabab ? up -
this cold world update brought to you again by: Islam, you so crazy!
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Terrible attack. Iono what they were trying to achieve by pulling off this attack but these type of attacks make people, muslims and infidels alike, lose sympathy for these outfits like Al Shabaab. They act like they're doing this for the deen but which sunnah are these fools following BTW?
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Muhannad X wrote: »Terrible attack. Iono what they were trying to achieve by pulling off this attack but these type of attacks make people, muslims and infidels alike, lose sympathy for these outfits like Al Shabaab. They act like they're doing this for the deen but which sunnah are these fools following BTW?
Exactly, attacks like these will only strengthen Kenya's resolve and make attacks against Al-Shabaab even more brutal now. The Kenyan people, who are only 10% Muslim, will support vicious attacks against Al-Shabaab in Somalia and if Somalia wasn't a big enough ? hole now, it's gonna become even more of one in the next few weeks/years. We all know African wars tend to get especially nasty after awhile.
Attacking your own people is not the way to gain sympathy worldwide......Obama being of Kenyan heritage and a ? lover of slaughtering as many terrorists as possible (he's done more drone strikes then even Bush did), he's gonna take a personal pleasure in seeing Al-Shabaab wiped the ? up. Obama gets the green light from me to drone Al-Shabaab villages with no mercy from this point on. -
A.J. Trillzynski wrote: »this cold world update brought to you again by: Islam, you so crazy!
LOL.....Islam's reputation has taken a huge hit these last few months. I'm seeing more and more of my liberal and moderate friends become rabid anti-Islam haters, and attacks like the one yesterday will only make more people hate Islam even more. My Nigerian friend told me yesterday he wants to ? as many Muslims as possible one day by joining the military and he never talks like that. I hate all religions equally but Islam's reputation is beyond repair for most Americans at this point. The fastest growing religion in America right now is the LACK of religion, and for that I'm grateful -
U never know this could be retaliatory based on something similar happening to the shabab mofos
I feel you but why target a shopping mall that Kenyans go to? That's just gona cause more people to hate them and it's not helping their cause. In all honesty, what is the cause of Al-Shabaab? To spread Islam around the world through force the way the prophet Mohammed did? Not sure just asking -
That mall just exploded
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A large explosion rocked the Kenyan mall where Islamic extremists are holding hostages a day after attacking the upscale shopping center and killing 59 people.
Associated Press journalists at the Westgate mall said the explosion Sunday afternoon was by far the largest in the 30-hour siege. There big blast was followed by silence.
An estimated 10 to 15 militant attackers are in the shopping mall holding an unknown number of captives, said Kenyan officials. The Kenyan military has gone into the four-story mall and there have been sporadic gun battles. Kenyan troops were seen carrying in at least two rocket propelled grenades. Earlier military helicopters hovered over the mall.
Earlier Sunday Kenyan army helicopters hovered over the mall.
There are fears of a protracted standoff in which the terrorists use the captives as pawns.
Kenyan security officials didn't — or couldn't — say how many people were being held captive by the terrorists. Kenya's Red Cross said in a statement citing police that 49 people had been reported missing. Officials did not make an explicit link but that number could form the basis of the number of people held captive.
Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack in which they used grenades and assault rifles and specifically targeted non-Muslims. The attackers included some women. The Islamic extremist rebels said the attack was retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into neighboring Somalia.
Al-Shabab said on its new Twitter feed — after its previous one was shut down on Saturday — that Kenyan officials were asking the hostage-takers to negotiate and offering incentives.
"We'll not negotiate with the Kenyan govt as long as its forces are invading our country, so reap the bitter fruits of your harvest," al-Shabab said in a tweet.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta reiterated his government's determination to continue fighting al-Shabab.
"We went as a nation into Somalia to help stabilize the country and most importantly to fight terror that had been unleashed on Kenya and the world," said Kenyatta."We shall not relent on the war on terror."
He said although this violent attack had succeeded, the Kenyan security forces had "neutralized" many others.
Earlier in the day Kenyatta said he his nephew and his nephew's fiance were killed in the attack.
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga told reporters at the mall that a number of people were being held hostage on the third floor and the basement area of the mall, which includes stores for Nike, Adidas and Bose stores.
Kenyan security officials sought to reassure the families of hostages inside but implied that hostages could be killed. The security operation is "delicate" because Kenyan forces hoped to ensure the hostages are evacuated safely, said Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Lenku.
"The priority is to save as many lives as possible," Lenku said, adding that more than 1,000 people escaped the attack inside the mall on Saturday.
"We have received a lot of messages from friendly countries, but for now it remains our operation," Lenku said.
More than 175 people were injured in the attack, Lenku said, including many children. Kenyan forces were in control of the mall's security cameras, he said.
Britain's prime minister, in confirming the deaths of three British nationals, told the country to "prepare ourselves for further bad news."
"It's an extremely difficult situation but we're doing everything we can to help the Kenyans in their hours of need," David Cameron said.
"Violent extremists continue to occupy Westgate Mall. Security services are there in full force," said the United States embassy in an emergency text message issued Sunday morning advising Americans to stay indoors and close to home.
Westgate Mall is at least partially owned by Israelis, and reports circulated that Israeli commandos were on the ground to assist in the response. Four restaurants inside the mall are Israeli-run or owned.
In Israel, a senior defense official said there were no Israeli forces participating in an assault, but the official said it was possible that Israeli advisers were providing assistance. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a classified military issue, would not elaborate.
Israel has close ties to Kenya going back many years. And in recent years, Israel has identified East Africa as an area of strategic interest and stepped up ties with Kenya and other neighboring countries, due to shared threats posed by al-Qaida and other extremist elements. In 2002, militants bombed an Israeli-owned luxury hotel near Mombasa, killing 13 people, and tried to shoot down an Israeli airliner at the same time.
Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including British, French, Canadians, Indians, a Ghanaian, a South African and a Chinese woman.
Kofi Awoonor, a Ghanaian poet, professor and former ambassador to Brazil, Cuba and the United Nations, died after being injured in the attack, Ghana's presidential office confirmed. Ghana's ministry of information said Awoonor's son was injured and is responding to treatment.
Kenya's presidential office said that one of the attackers was arrested on Saturday and died after suffering from bullet wounds.
Britain's Foreign Office said that Foreign Secretary William Hague has chaired a meeting of Britain's crisis committee and sent a rapid deployment team from London to Nairobi to provide extra consular support.
The United Nations Security Council condemned the attacks and "expressed their solidarity with the people and Government of Kenya" in a statement.
There was some good news on Sunday, as Kenyan media reported that several people in hiding in the mall escaped to safety, suggesting that not everyone who was inside overnight was being held by al-Shabab.
Cecile Ndwiga said she had been hiding under a car in the basement parking garage.
"I called my husband to ask the soldiers to come and rescue me. Because I couldn't just walk out anyhow. The shootout was all over here — left, right— just gun shots," she said.
Security forces had pushed curious crowds far back from the mall. Hundreds of residents gathered on a high ridge above the mall to watch for any activity. Police lobbed multiple rounds of tear gas throughout the day at hundreds of curious Kenyans who gathered near the mall.
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Associated Press reporters Tom Odula and Jacob Kushner in Nairobi, Kenya; Josef Federman in Jerusalem; Louise Watt in Beijing; and Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this report. -
Here is further wacky, Islamic wild news that is SURE to make Islam MOREpopular in America and the world, nutjob terrorists blew up a CHURCH in Pakistan, killing 77 people while service was ongoing.....
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/22/world/asia/pakistan-attack/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Suicide bombers ? 77 at Pakistan church
Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A blast at a Protestant church in northwest Pakistan killed 77 people and wounded more than 120, a local official said.
The attack took place at the All Saints Church of Pakistan, in the violence-plagued city of Peshawar, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the country's capital, Islamabad.
Two attackers struck right as services concluded, according to the Peshawar Diocese. "Suicide bombers entered the church compound from the main gate and blew themselves up in the midst of the people," a statement posted on the diocese website read.
Choir members and children attending Sunday school are among the dead, they said.
The outside of the church was peppered with debris, and crowds of men and rescue officials covered in blood.
The Rev Humphrey S. Peters, Bishop of Peshawar, expressed condolences and called for prayers, but also struck a defiant tone. In a statement, Peters condemned the local government, calling the attack a "total failure" of official efforts to protect minorities.
Christians make up less than 3% of the population in the South Asian nation of 193 million.
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? like this is why Israel gets away with murder in its treatment of Palestinians.....Muslims worldwide are losing sympathy by the day.....
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Yeah these extremists putting their religion in a bad light. Idgaf about your cause, if u blow up any place of worship especially while people are in there practicing their respective religion, it means u respect nothing and deserve the same respect u dish out.
Destroying a church is some ? ? , ? them (sand) ? . -
Are you Kenyan? That would put your posts in this thread in perspective.kingblaze84 wrote: »? like this is why Israel gets away with murder in its treatment of Palestinians.....Muslims worldwide are losing sympathy by the day.....
I highly doubt any sain muslim is sympathizing with any outfit that pulls off attacks like these. With all due respect I think you should make a clear distinction between muslims and terrorist who (ab)use a peaceful religion to justify terrorist attacks. -
well, to be fair, they DON'T consider non-Muslim Kenyans to be their people, so... but this is kind of the point of these attacks: enrage Kenyans as best you can, get them to take it out on Muslims/Somalis, and so onkingblaze84 wrote: »The Kenyan people, who are only 10% Muslim, will support vicious attacks against Al-Shabaab in Somalia ... Attacking your own people is not the way to gain sympathy worldwide...
that's all it took?!kingblaze84 wrote: »Obama gets the green light from me to drone Al-Shabaab villages with no mercy from this point on.
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Muhannad X wrote: »
Are you Kenyan? That would put your posts in this thread in perspective.kingblaze84 wrote: »? like this is why Israel gets away with murder in its treatment of Palestinians.....Muslims worldwide are losing sympathy by the day.....
I highly doubt any sain muslim is sympathizing with any outfit that pulls off attacks like these. With all due respect I think you should make a clear distinction between muslims and terrorist who (ab)use a peaceful religion to justify terrorist attacks.
No I don't believe most Muslims support these attacks, I'm friends with a Muslim guy and all of his family knows about my heathen beliefs and they still show me plenty of love. I'm just stating that behavior like the Al-Shabaab attack is often the reason WHY many Americans and people around the world seem to have little sympathy with affairs effecting Muslims around the world. I say this because as I said earlier in the thread, even some of my liberal and moderate friends are saying nasty anti-Muslim things lately, so I can only imagine what mainstream Americans are thinking now. Obviously, most Muslims don't support things like this but the sad reality is SO MANY DO, and it's becoming a problem. If more sympathy is lost, things will get very ugly for the Muslim world, even more then now -
And for the record I'm not Kenyan, my parents are from the Caribbean (Haiti and Panama) and I was born in Brooklyn
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This might be payback for kenya try to carve of a country out of Somalia
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yea i heard this morning that the terrorist were somali
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well, it's pretty clearly meant as payback for Kenya sending troops to Somalia. don't know about the whole "carving a country out" thing. hell, it seems like al-Shabaab wants to do the same thing.MrSoutCity wrote: »This might be payback for kenya try to carve of a country out of Somalia
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kingblaze84 wrote: »I highly doubt any sain muslim is sympathizing with any outfit that pulls off attacks like these. With all due respect I think you should make a clear distinction between muslims and terrorist who (ab)use a peaceful religion to justify terrorist attacks.
Rex is patiently awaiting for some cleric, iman, or mullah that represents the majority of the world's "peaceful," and Allah fearing Muslims to condemn this and any other act terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam.
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Maximus Rex wrote: »kingblaze84 wrote: »I highly doubt any sain muslim is sympathizing with any outfit that pulls off attacks like these. With all due respect I think you should make a clear distinction between muslims and terrorist who (ab)use a peaceful religion to justify terrorist attacks.
Rex is patiently awaiting for some cleric, iman, or mullah that represents the majority of the world's "peaceful," and Allah fearing Muslims to condemn this and any other act terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam.
I agree with you but I didn't say that quote you quoted me as saying but it's probably a glitch
