US Warns of Possible Terror Attacks on Airlines in Kenyan Airspace

The United States has issued a new warning of possible terrorist attacks in the Kenyan airspace. 

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has advised civilian airlines flying in the Kenyan airspace to watch out for possible attacks by the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorist group.

The American aviation agency says Al-Shabaab remains an active threat in Kenya and is in possession of weapons capable of bringing down aircraft at low altitudes of up to 25,000 feet.

“Such weapons could target aircraft at low altitudes, including during the arrival and departure phases of flight, and/or target airports and aircraft on the ground, especially at airfields located east of 40 degrees east longitude,” the advisory reads in part.

The air route connecting Nairobi to countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, and China is among the routes covered by the FAA warning. Flights using the routes fly over north eastern Kenya counties such as Garissa and exit into Somalia.

Kenya has been a victim of multiple terror attacks by the Al-Shabaab, which controls swathes of southern Somalia from where it regularly launches attacks in Mogadishu, Kenya, and elsewhere. The attacks in Kenya have been in retaliation for Nairobi sending troops into Somalia as part of an African Union force to degrade the jihadists.

In January 2020, one American soldier and two US contractors were killed after Al-Shabaab fighters attacked a US military base in Lamu.

The al Qaeda-linked group is seeking to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu.