{ "id": "R43245", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R43245", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 425691, "date": "2013-11-14", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T23:14:04.681105", "title": "The September 2013 Terrorist Attack in Kenya: In Brief", "summary": "On September 21, 2013, masked gunmen attacked the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya taking hostages and killing at least 67 people. Almost 200 people, including at least five U.S. citizens, were wounded in the siege, which lasted four days. The attack is the most deadly terrorist incident in Kenya since the 1998 Al Qaeda bombing of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi. A Somali Islamist insurgent group, Al Shabaab, which has ties to Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the Westgate attack. Al Qaeda and affiliated groups like Al Shabaab have had a presence in East Africa for almost 20 years, although the extent of their operations there has varied over time. The region\u2019s porous borders, proximity to the Arabian Peninsula, weak law enforcement and judicial institutions, and pervasive corruption, combined with almost 20 years of state collapse in neighboring Somalia, have provided an enabling environment for violent extremist groups.\nWhat is the extent of support from U.S. citizens to Al Shabaab? How many Americans have joined the group in Somalia? What is the intelligence community doing to ascertain the relationship between U.S. citizens fighting overseas for Al Shabaab and family or acquaintances in the United States? \nWhat are the main sources of revenue for Al Shabaab and affiliated groups in the region? To what extent is Al Shabaab able to profit from the financial remittances to Somalia? Are international regulations governing Somali money transfer services sufficient? How might the threatened closure by international banks of these services\u2019 accounts affect Somalia? How might it affect the ability to track both licit and illicit financial flows to the country? \nWhat are the factors driving recruitment by Al Shabaab and affiliated groups in East African countries like Kenya? How do Kenyan Muslims view the country\u2019s operations in Somalia? To what extent, if at all, do reported abuses by security forces affect cooperation by Muslim communities with counterterrorism efforts? How can the United States and its allies counter the extremist narrative that Islam is under attack by the West and its \u201cproxies\u201d?\nTo what extent are U.S. diplomatic and military facilities in East Africa vulnerable to attack by extremists? How do U.S. diplomats in the region balance concerns for their security against the outreach required of their mission? \nWhat has been the legal justification for U.S. strikes in Somalia? What role should Congress play in determining the scope and duration of future U.S. targeted strikes against terrorist actors in East Africa? \nHow are limited tactical strikes against terrorist targets in Somalia tied to broader efforts to promote regional stability? What is the relationship between U.S. strikes and U.S. support for regional military operations in Somalia? What are the constraints on U.S. intelligence sharing with regional partners such as Kenya and the other AMISOM troop contributors? How long will a foreign military presence in Somalia be required?\nDoes Al Shabaab pose a direct threat to the United States? What steps have been taken at the federal or other levels of government to deter, prevent, and/or respond to a scenario involving this style of coordinated attack, conducted by a trained terrorist team against a soft target such as a mall, if it were to be attempted in the United States?", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43245", "sha1": "0dfc808d2ff2b0a793fd788f7cc156e907d4736e", "filename": "files/20131114_R43245_0dfc808d2ff2b0a793fd788f7cc156e907d4736e.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43245", "sha1": "2c841aae0d36b7ba0e44b87d2f47d366d6cf7454", "filename": "files/20131114_R43245_2c841aae0d36b7ba0e44b87d2f47d366d6cf7454.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227943/", "id": "R43245_2013Sep27", "date": "2013-09-27", "retrieved": "2013-11-05T18:07:05", "title": "In Brief: The September 2013 Terrorist Attack in Kenya", "summary": "This report discusses terrorist threats and incursions by Al Shabaab. The report provides an overview of Al Shabaab and discusses the steps United States is taking to counter the Al Shabaab threat.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130927_R43245_d8d36fa1e09eef5e898bd1e3b1526730d581d501.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130927_R43245_d8d36fa1e09eef5e898bd1e3b1526730d581d501.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Terrorism", "name": "Terrorism" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Terrorism -- Kenya", "name": "Terrorism -- Kenya" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Kenya", "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Kenya" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- Kenya -- U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations -- Kenya -- U.S." } ] } ], "topics": [ "African Affairs", "Foreign Affairs", "Intelligence and National Security", "National Defense" ] }