Somali civilians killed in strike against terrorists

Kenyan military forces appear to have struck and killed civilians sheltering at a refugee camp in southern Somalia. Kenyan officials say the raid was intended to strike Islamic terrorists operating in the vicinity and acknowledged that it appears to have hit civilians.

NAIROBI, KENYA (Catholic Online) - The attack took place on Sunday where a camp for internally displaced people is located, and according to the officials was intended to target al-Shabab terrorists who the Kenyan army is trying to kill or capture.

Local sources say that at least five people are dead, and 45 others are wounded. Most tragically, 31 of the wounded appeared to be children.

Two weeks ago Kenyan fighters entered southern Somalia in an effort to root out the terrorist organization al-Shabab. Al-Shabab has ties to Al Qaeda, and routinely carries out kidnappings and terrorist attacks throughout the region. Their violence spreads across southern Somalia, Ethiopia, and into Kenya. Al-Shabab is trying to create an autonomous Islamic fundamentalist state in southern Somalia where the central government has very little influence.

However, many of the people living in southern Somalia want very little to do with al-Shabab and have been fleeing the region en mass. The terrorists have exacerbated one of the most severe droughts and famines the region has seen in decades, by refusing to permit people to leave the country to find food or seek aid. The Islamic terrorists are also preventing international aid from reaching the people who are sick and starving.

Despite being threatened with death, most people of the region realize that to remain means a slow death by starvation and they have been fleeing the country for refugee camps in Kenya. Some al-Shabab fighters have taking to using the camps and refugees as human shields for their terrorist operations.

The Kenyan army has enjoyed success against al-Shabab during its two-week campaign. However, the latest tragedy is believed to be a mishap of the type that sometimes occurs during war.

A Somali official, refered to the killing of civilians as, "an unfortunate incident." Despite the deaths of civilians, Somali officials are welcoming Kenyan intervention, al-Shabab is a common enemy. 
Al-Shabab continues to fight and resist the Kenyan troops, and have announced that they are "the answer" to the invasion by the Kenyan military. 

If they are an answer, they appear to be an unpopular and dangerous one at that. 

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