A LESSON FROM WESTGATE By Mbijiwe Mwenda- Security expert/Evangelist.

At the Westgate mall terror attack, our security forces missed a grand opportunity to display their muscle in real time! Although our forces have made spectacular displays of equipment and manpower in previous national holiday celebrations, there was not a better chance for them to show Kenyans that “we are here to defend you, come rain, come sunshine” than at the Westgate incident. Instead however, our security forces mounted one of the worst rescue missions anywhere in the world. The Westgate incident will now enter the annals of history as an example of how not to carry out a rescue mission. Despite much insistence by the security chiefs, there is absolutely no evidence that any terrorists was caught or shot dead at the mall. Secondly, the whole world is still waiting to see any of the hostages supposedly rescued. There are claims that some special forces and particularly those of the Recce squad were felled by friendly fire from the ‘other’ special forces that came from Gilgil! And finally, the property was destroyed. That is exactly how to never carry out a rescue mission.

First things first. I wonder if our forces’ commanders have embraced the changing face of terrorism today. Over the decades, terrorism has metamorphosised from a mere hostage-taking-for-negotiations terrorism, to a kill-kill-kill-and kill form of terror. The former form of terror endured until the entry of Osama bin Laden. He (Osama) introduced a neo-terror version unknown before in human history. In his first formed fatwa of August 1996, Mr. Osama declared: “These youths love death as you love life. Our youths believe in paradise after death. They believe that taking part in fighting will not bring their day nearer; and staying behind will not postpone their day either… If death is a predetermined must, then it is a shame to die cowardly… Death is truth and ultimate destiny, and life will end any way. If I do not fight you, then my mother must be insane! These youths know that: if one is not to be killed one will die (any way) and the most honourable death is to be killed in the way of religion.” This Osama doctrine marked a paradigm shift in modern terrorism.

The modern day Al Qaeda network of terrorists spread all across the globe are direct or indirect offshoots of this indoctrination of radicals. Whether they be Yemen’s Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula or the Jamaa Islamiya in the Indonesia, or the Al Shaabab in East Africa, or the Al Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb, etc, the Osama orphans do not seem to act as orphans anymore. Of course the two years Osama was lord over Afghanistan and in particular the Taliban, he established a graduate school of radicalization where all the big terrorists today (dead or alive) were schooled. Complete with military style training, the Taliban doctrine taught its graduates Bin Laden’s doctrines that calls for a war of the “believers” against the “non-believers.” “Non-believers” includes non-Muslims and Muslims who do not subscribe to his particular form of “pure Islam.” Upon their graduation and subsequent scattering all across the globe, they took with them the radical doctrine. Thus is the new face of terror today.

What does this mean in our security forces counter terrorism strategies? It means the terrorists whenever they attack, be it a suicide attack or Mumbai-style, or Westgate-style, they have come to kill and kill and kill and die themselves. This only means therefore that counter terrorism Special Forces do not have eternity to respond to a terror attack. Instead they have minutes, indeed seconds to respond to such an attack and that with lethal force.

If terrorists have come to die, we must kill them soonest possible because the longer they live (at a scene of crime) the more people they kill. Special Forces now have zero-time to gather at scene of crime, get briefs, study building plans, etc. No sooner have the terrorists attacked, than the Special Forces swing into action to distract, stop and ultimately kill them. This means a lot of things. One, Special Forces must not only train in the wilderness jungle, but must now train in the concrete jungle the cities have become. Two, the intelligence and counter terrorism agents must advice owners of all the potential targets to deposit their buildings plans with the Special Forces for the purpose of training and practices. For instance, we read in the papers that apart from Westgate mall, the terrorists had targeted KICC and the Parliament. I would expect the building plans of these two buildings to already be deposited with the Special Forces for study and practice. The Special Forces must also be consolidated into a one command force, to avoid the kind of operational cock-ups we witnessed at Westgate.

Finally, in keeping with their constitutional mandate, the Special Forces from the military should never again be involved in such a mission as the Westgate. They should stick to their mandate of taking out any enemy that defies our territorial integrity. Operations like the Westgate mall incident should be left to the much equipped, trained and experienced GSU’s Recce squad. The Chief of Defense Forces should never again take over the roles of the Inspector General of police. He should be content fighting his battles at Kismayu and not at Westgate. The Inspector General should also be gutsy enough to tell the Chief of Defense Forces to spectate only and provide support only while the IG takes the lead role in such a rescue mission.

This means the Recce squad should be fully equipped even with helicopters for quick response and also decentralized to all major cities. In fact the squad should be stationed at all county headquarters and know the buildings therein like the back of their hand.

The regular police should also be more equipped, including the undercover (armed) agents for speedy lethal response in those first few minutes right after an attack as they await arrival of Special Forces.

Finally, all capable Kenyan’s should apply for pistol licenses. We saw the brilliant work private gun owners did at Westgate, saving hundreds of lives.