Kenya, Germany to team up in war against terror and drugs

Surveillance:Threats posted by Al-ShabaabKenya and Germany police chiefs on Monday said they will cooperate on the war against terrorism and drug trafficking which are common challenges facing the East African nation. Kenya’s Police Commissioner, Mathew Iteere, who received an assortment of equipment to fight crime and boost surveillance from the German government said the equipment will reinforce the capacity of the police to detect and prevent attacks especially from Somali militants. Iteere said the donation which was presented by visiting Joerg Ziercke, President of the German Federal Office of Criminal Investigation, will boost Kenya’s capacity to handle internal security threats posted by Al-Shabaab. “The security equipment we have received today will help the police in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking in the country,” Iteere told journalists in Nairobi.The German Federal Criminal Police office has been training their Kenyan counterparts to conduct a total of seven training courses for local police officers since early 2011. Iteere noted that the equipment, which includes two jeeps and a personal vehicle, will assist in police mobility while computers and printers received will be used in forensic investigations as well as help fight cyber crimes.“We will ensure that the Kenyan police are well trained to be able to detect terror threats and others crimes,” Ziercke said. The security equipment comes as Kenyan authorities have admitted that the internal security of the country has been threatened due to the recent landmine and grenade attacks on its territory. Several attacks believed to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa and Dadaab districts of northern Kenya even as the military which crossed over to Somalia, last October, reports gains against the Islamist group by capturing their military bases and killing scores of them. Security in key installations in Kenya has been put on a high alert following Kenya’s military operations in Somalia which sparked threats from the Al-Shabaab group that it will retaliate deep in Kenya.