TRUMP AGENDA - Expanded War on Terror

IMHO:  Those who think military power will end all terrorism are, sadly, mistaken.  They are failing to recognize that terrorists operate in small groups or are loners.  And the most dangerous are terrorists from their own country, not outsiders.

Military action can only defeat armies.  In the case of al-Shabab, they have never attacked the U.S.

"Is there a human toll of giving the military more latitude to strike terror targets?" PBS NewsHour 3/31/2017

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SUMMARY:  On the campaign stump, Donald Trump promised to give the U.S. military more freedom to strike terrorist targets around the world.  Now the President has approved the Pentagon's plan to intensify its targeting of al-Shabab strongholds in Somalia.  Hari Sreenivasan speaks with former State Department official Sarah Sewall about the new changes for military operations.

HARI SREENIVASAN (NewsHour):  Among the countries where the U.S. is fighting terrorism are Iraq, Yemen and Somalia.  Now the President has approved the Pentagon's plan to beef up its targeting of Al-Shabaab in Somalia, giving the military greater latitude to decide when and where to strike.

For more on all of this, we turn to Sarah Sewall.  She served as undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy and human rights during the Obama administration.  She's written extensively about military operations and civilian casualties.  She's now at Johns Hopkins University.

Ms. Sewall, I want to first ask — just walk us through what the changes are that the Pentagon just announced.

SARAH SEWALL, Former State Department Official:  Well, essentially, President Obama had created two categories for thinking about the use of force in the context of the war on terror.

One was more like targeted killing with more restricted types of targets that you could both choose and were forced to identify, and it controlled the effects of those uses of force more closely.  The other is more like what Americans would understand as war, general hostilities.

And what has happened is, the President — the current President has now moved, according to reports, moved the Somalia engagement of U.S. forces from the category of more targeted uses of force to that of general hostilities.

INSIDE KENYA - Al-Shabab

"Al-Shabab exploits Kenya's divisions to wage war" PBS NewsHour 4/8/2016

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SUMMARY:  Kenya is the U.S.'s primary ally in the fight against east Africa's deadliest terror group.  Its long war against al-Shabaab has taken a heavy toll and there are fears that reprisals from Kenyan security forces against ethnic Somalis are only breeding more enemies.  Special correspondent Nick Schifrin and producer Zach Fannin report in a collaboration with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

JUDY WOODRUFF (NewsHour):  But, first, tonight we begin a series, "Inside Kenya."

The East African nation is the United States' primary ally in the region, and in the fight against the deadly terror group Al-Shabaab, based in Somalia.  Al-Shabaab attacks government and military institutions in Somalia, but it has also launched major attacks in neighboring Kenya.

Special correspondent Nick Schifrin and producer Zach Fannin traveled extensively throughout Northeastern Kenya, along the Somali border.

Tonight, with the help of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, we start our series with a look at how Al-Shabaab is targeting Kenya, and how Kenya is fighting back.

And a warning:  The story contains images some viewers may find disturbing.

NICK SCHIFRIN (NewsHour):  On Kenya's front line against Al-Shabaab, police on patrol are armed like soldiers.  They search traditional straw houses, checking I.D.s at the barrel of a gun.

JULIUS KIRAGU, Kenyan Army (through interpreter):  The main threat here is the Al-Shabaab.  That is terrorism, because they are associated with al-Qaida, and you know what al-Qaidas are.

NICK SCHIFRIN:  Officer Julius Kiragu heads Kenya's administrative police in Wajir, only 70 miles from the Somali border.  Every night, they search for smuggled weapons and hiding fighters.

JULIUS KIRAGU:  They pretend they are selling milk and all these things, but they are waiting for the appropriate time to strike.

NICK SCHIFRIN:  Most of his officers are ethnic Somali, like the majority of the local population.  Some officers wear civilian clothing and ride around in unmarked cars.  They work with local tribal chiefs, like Zein Abdulla.

What kinds of weapons have you found here?

ZEIN ABDULLA, Tribal Chief:  There were guns.  There were grenades.  There were ammunitions and such things.

NICK SCHIFRIN:  So, Shabaab has supporters even here?

ZEIN ABDULLA:  So, they have representatives at least in every district.

NICK SCHIFRIN:  Al-Shabaab has waged a decade-long war in Somalia.  In 2011, Kenya invaded Somalia, in a campaign called Protect the Country.

Emmanuel Chirchir was the face of the campaign in Somalia, and on Twitter.

"How Al-Shabab is recruiting young men from Kenya" PBS NewsHour 4/10/2016

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SUMMARY:  Al-Shabab, an Al Qaeda-linked militant group based in Somalia responsible for a shopping mall attack in Kenya that killed 67 in 2013, is enlisting more recruits from Kenya than any other country.  In the second part of the NewsHour series “Inside Kenya,” young men talk about why they joined.

KENYA - Al-Shabab Siege

"Kenyan security forces end al-Shabab siege that killed 147" PBS NewsHour 4/2/2015

GWEN IFILL (NewsHour):  Now, the attack in Kenya that sparked a daylong siege and killed 147 people.

It began at daybreak and finally ended after dusk, when security forces killed four Somali gunmen and freed their remaining captives.

All day long, ambulances and military vehicles raced the wounded away from Garissa University College.  It was the bloodiest terrorist attacks the country had ever seen, and the Somali group Al-Shabab, linked to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility.

Police said gunmen stormed the college at dawn, firing at students in their dormitories. Survivors said the attackers separated out Christians, taking some hostage and killing many others on the spot.  Those who managed to escape recounted the horror.

MAN (through interpreter):  I jumped out the window and fell down.  I ran to the gate, and that’s when I met a biker, who helped me get to the hospital.

GWEN IFILL:  Security forces quickly surrounded the college, about 120 miles from the Somali border.  And an overnight curfew was imposed on the entire the region.

In a nationally televised address, President Uhuru Kenyatta urged his people to stay calm and alert.

PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA, Kenya:  This is a moment for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant, as we confront and defeat our enemies.

GWEN IFILL:  Kenyatta also announced expedited training of 10,000 police recruits.  The government identified the suspected mastermind of the attack as Mohamed Mohamud, also known as Dulyadin, and officials posted a $220,000 bounty for him.

He’s alleged to be the leader of Al-Shabab’s cross-border strikes.  They began after Kenya sent its military into Somalia four years ago.  Until today, the worst of those came in 2013, when Al-Shabab attacked a Nairobi shopping mall, and 67 people were killed.

"Why al-Shabab is trying to inspire Muslim backlash against Kenya" PBS NewsHour 4/2/2015

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SUMMARY:  Al-Shabab, a Somali-based terror group, claimed responsibility for today’s siege on a Kenyan university.  The militants began cross-border strikes after Kenya sent its military into Somalia four years ago.  Gwen Ifill talks to Kenneth Menkhaus of Davidson College about the group’s motivations for attacking Kenya.