Ethiopia announces 'massive offensive' against Al Shabab in Somalia

Kenya meanwhile continues pursuing suspected accomplices to last week's Nairobi attack

Kenyan police make a routine patrol in the Eastleigh area of the capital Nairobi, Kenya, Friday, Jan. 18, 2019. AP

Ethiopian forces are preparing a “massive offensive” against Al Shabab in Somalia following a militant ambush on an Ethiopian peacekeeping convoy and last week's Nairobi hotel attack.

The Ethiopian National Defence Force confirmed on Saturday that the Al Qaeda-linked militants had attacked its troops in Somalia but denied that Ethiopian troops were killed.

An Ethiopian convoy was traveling from Burhakaba to Baidoa in Somalia's southwest when it was attacked, the statement said. No further details on when the ambush occurred or whether there were casualties were given.

Ethiopia contributes troops alongside Kenya and other African nations to the African Union mission in Somalia. Alongside US airstrikes, the African Union force has reduced the ability of Al Shabab to operate but the group still carries out spectacular trans-boundary attacks.

It has never orchestrated a major attack inside Ethiopia but in October the group claimed it has killed 30 Ethiopian troops inside Somalia. Weeks earlier, Ethiopian state meda had reported that the Ethiopian Air Force had killed 70 Al Shabab militants who had tried to attack Ethiopian forces.

The group claimed responsibility for last week's deadly hotel attack in Nairobi, in which at least 21 people were killed.

The attackers stormed the hotel complex opened fire and set off grenades, sending panicked people running for cover as security forces converged. Security camera footage released later showed a suicide bomber blowing himself up in a grassy area. Authorities identified him as 25-year-old Mahir Khalid Riziki, who was born in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa and was sought several years ago by police for alleged extremist activities. All four other gunmen died in the attack.

The response to the attack, which was motivated by the presence of Kenyan peacekeeping troops in Somalia, showed that Kenyan security forces had learned lessons since the chaotic response to Al Shabab's 2013 Westgate mall attack, in which 67 people were killed.

Some 700 people were rescued in last week’s attack thanks to a swift response under a single chain of command, which saw the area rapidly cordoned off and procedures in place to take care of survivors, analysts said.

"It was much more efficient, and it seems to have been better co-ordinated and the tactics they employed were better practised, they had better equipment so all in all, a much better performance," Matt Bryden, director of the Sahan think-tank in Nairobi, told AFP.

People are evacuated by a member of security forces at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters

Kenyan armed forces rescue people after an attack on a hotel, in Nairobi, Kenya. Extremists launched a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in Kenya's capital Tuesday, sending people fleeing in panic as explosions and heavy gunfire reverberated through the complex. A police officer said he saw bodies, "but there was no time to count the dead." AP Photo

A civilian meets with friends and family after being evacuated from the scene where gunmen blasted their way into a hotel and office complex in Nairobi, Kenya. Reuters

People are evacuated at the scene where explosions and gunshots were heard at the Dusit hotel compound, in Nairobi, Kenya. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

Cars are seen on fire at the scene. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A window damaged by bullets has escaped shattering. Baz Ratner / Baz Ratner

Members of the security forces in situ. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A woman is evacuated. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A member of the security forces gestures as people take cover. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

Security forces stand guard. Ben Curtis / AP Photo

People are evacuated from the danger zone. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

An armed soldier takes cover next to a bullet-riddled window. Dai Kurokawa / EPA

A member of the security forces keeps guard as people are evacuated. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

People stand next to a wall as events unfold. Raphael Ambasu / AFP

A vehicle is seen as a member of the security forces keeps a look out. Thomas Mukoya / Reuters

A Kenyan woman (R) is overwhelmed by emotions after receiving the news that her relative (not pictured) was rescued from a business complex in Nairobi, Kenya, a day after suspected militants stormed an upscale hotel and office complex killing several people. The attack has been claimed by Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab. Interior minister Fred Matiang'i said late 15 January that security forces have secured all the buildings without giving further details. According to media reports, at least 15 people have been killed, but no official number has been so far confirmed by the government. EPA

A woman is rescued at the scene of an on going terrorist attack at a hotel complex in Nairobi's Westlands suburb. Fifteen people have died in the Islamist attack on an upmarket hotel complex in Nairobi, Kenyan police sources said on January 16, as fresh explosions and gunfire rang out in the siege which stretched into its second day. AFP

Kenyan police officers return from the scene inside a business complex in Nairobi, Kenya, a day after the attackers stormed the compound killing several people in an attack claimed by Somalia's Islamist militant group al-Shabab. Interior minister Fred Matiangi said late 15 January that security foces have secured all the buildings without giving details. EPA

Following the attack, the Kenyan government announced plans to allow more private security guards in the country to carry firearms. Currently few private guards are licensed to carry firearms.

Two employees of a private security company were reported killed in Tuesday’s attack.

Kenya’s Private Security Regulatory Authority said on Friday it would implement a vetting process to prevent suspected criminals within security companies gaining access to firearms.

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Read more:

Kenya gets better at helping attack survivors cope

Kenya will remain target as long as troops in Somalia

Nairobi attack shows Al Shabab still powerful despite US efforts

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Meanwhile, a Canadian national and five other people accused of helping the gunmen who staged the attack appeared in court on Friday to face investigation for terrorism offenses.

A judge ordered five of the suspects to be held for 30 days while authorities investigated the hotel attack.

Suspects who appeared in court were identified as Joel Nganga Wainaina, Oliver Kanyango Muthee, Gladys Kaari Justus, Guleid Abdihakim and Osman Ibrahim. Mr Abdihakim is a Canadian national, according to prosecutors.

Hussein Mohammed, another suspect who was arrested in Mandera county along the border with Somalia, was brought to court separately, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors suspect the alleged accomplices, including two taxi drivers and an agent for a mobile phone-based money service, of "aiding and abetting" the attackers, according to a court document.

Prosecutors said they were pursuing more suspects in and outside Kenya.