200 Islamic extremist fighters split from rebels, pledge allegiance to IS
| Nairobi, Kenya
About 200 Islamic extremist fighters have split from聽Somalia's Al Shabab rebels, who are allied to Al Qaeda, and have instead pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, Kenya's police chief said Thursday.
The splinter group is operating around the Somali border in Kenya's north, and has carried out at least two attacks in the last two weeks, killing one soldier and two civilians in Mandera County, Joseph Boinett told the Associated Press.
The split in Al Shabab聽poses an extra challenge for Kenya's security forces, Mr. Boinnet said. Among those who have joined the pro-IS faction of Al Shabab is Mohamed Kuno, alias Gamadhere, who is wanted for the April 2 attack by Al Shabab聽gunmen on Kenya's Garissa University in the country's east, in which 148 people were killed, Boinnet said.
Al Shabab聽has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending troops to聽Somalia聽to fight the Islamic extremists. Kenya has experienced a series of Al Shabab聽attacks since it sent its troops to聽Somalia聽in 2011.
The defections are causing tensions within Al Shabab.
Two men, an American citizen and U.S. resident, defected from Al Shabab聽and surrendered to Somali authorities earlier this month fearing they would be killed by their former colleagues on suspicion that they are IS supporters. Al Qaeda聽and Islamic State are rivals for jihadi recruits.
In October, Nigeria's Boko Haram extremists urged Al Shabab聽rebels to join them in pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and thus abandon Al Qaeda.
The appeal from an unidentified armed fighter is part of a wider courting of Al Shabab. Similar messages came nearly two weeks ago from militant extremists in Iraq, Sinai, Syria, and Yemen.
