Kenya intends to create Macawisley to flush out Al-Shabaab

Nairobi(Mogadishu24)-Leaders from northeastern Kenya have voiced their concerns about the ongoing attacks by Al-Shabaab in the region and the threat the militants pose to national security.

During a security debate in Parliament, Hon. Farah Maalim, the Member of Parliament for Dabaab Constituency, highlighted the need to create and mobilize local forces known as 'Macawisley.' The objective of this initiative is to effectively flush out the militants from their hiding places, drawing upon the success of a similar approach in his constituency.

"These people are not facing the troops in huge numbers; they only launch attacks in a group of 5 or 6. The best way to deal with them is for us to create our own Macawisley (local forces), which is our own Kenya Police Reservists (KPR), and KPR is in a position to track them and smoke them out of wherever they go in. In my constituency now, Hon. Yakub will tell you that there is no single Al-Shabaab in my constituency, and we flushed them out. And I spent my own resources to send those young men to follow them on foot and track them. Just the other day they tried to attack Hame, and you know what happened to them, four of them were locked down,” expressed Hon. Farah Maalim.

Highlighting the challenging circumstances faced by the local forces engaged in combating terrorism, Hon. Farah Maalim emphasized the urgent need for improved compensation, stating, "We should pay the KPR better than we do now because they are paid a very paltry five thousand shillings a month, and that doesn't even come for six or seven months in a row."

In response to the recent attacks on security personnel in Mandera, Garissa, and Lamu counties, the Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims (Supkem) has strongly condemned these acts of violence. Alhajj Hassan, Supkem's national chairman, expressed deep concern over the attacks targeting innocent civilians in these regions.