Israel to help Kenya fight al-Qaeda-linked Somali terrorists

Somali Pirate

Telegraph - Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, said his country is ready to "make everything available" to Kenya to secure its borders and boost its internal security as it continues its incursion into its anarchic neighbour.

Details of the deal were not immediately released.

But Raila Odinga, Kenya's prime minister, said that increasing internal security threats "called for more advanced and improved security measures".

Kenyan forces swept across the border into Somalia six weeks ago, with the aim of routing al-Shabaab, Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgents.

 

"Israel can help Kenya police to build the capacity to be able to detect militants, know what kinds of arms they have and pre-empt and destroy the networks that recruit youths and kill inside the country," Mr Odinga said in a statement.

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"Kenya's enemies are Israel's enemies so we should be able to help," Mr Netanyahu was quoted as saying after the meeting.

"We have similar forces planning to bring us down. I see it as an opportunity to strengthen our ties."

Israel has in the past helped Kenya following al-Qaeda attacks on the US embassy in the capital, Nairobi, in 1998.