Al-Shabaab in bid to terrorize Kenya through online Magazine

One of the Magazine ``Gaidi`` published issue

Al-Shabaab fighters on the cover of the Magazine

By PFJ Reporter

One of the deadliest Global terrorist group Al-Shabaab is using its new online magazine to instill fear among Kenyans and motivate its demoralized fighters after suffering a string of defeats and defections, Security officials and analysts in the Horn of Africa have warned.

Gaidi Mtaani, or "Terrorist on the Street" in Swahili, was introduced in April and has published two issues in Swahili and English. The magazine's editorial says it drew inspiration from an English-language online magazine published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In its first issue, Gaidi Mtaani mocked the Kenya Defense Forces' (KDF) Operation Linda Nchi, which means, "Protect the Country", by coining its own Operation Linda Uislamu, which means "Protect Islam".

The group vowed to triumph over Somali and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces, placing on the cover of its first issue an image of a man overlooking the Kenyatta International Conference Centre in Nairobi, holding two grenades behind his back. 

Security officials in Kenya who didn`t not want to be quoted as they are not allowed to speak to the Media said they are monitoring the magazine and will communicate through the local press to dispel any lies the group publishes.

Kenyan troops are fighting the terrorist group in the nearly lawless country under AMISOM and are reported to be making positive headway towards Kismayu port, which is the economic mainstay of Al-Shabaab, and security analysts say that if they are driven out of the port they will be rendered completely irrelevant.