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Mason Dorsey
English 3
4/30/15
Al-Shabaab Strikes Again!
Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group based outside of Kenya in Somalia, has struck again at
Garrissa University killing many innocent students. This is not the first time this radical group
has performed a terrorist attack. A few years ago they massacred many innocent people at
Westgate mall which was one of the biggest killing that part of the world has ever seen. Every
member of this group is Muslim, and they frown upon every other religion. The president of
Kenya claims he will make a change and to stop terrorists group like this from killing innocent
people again. Is he really going to make a change? That is the question many people are asking
because this is not the first time this group has struck and he did not do anything about it the first
time. The president needs to do something about this to prevent terrorisms from happening in
the future, like putting more security at colleges or tracking the known terrorist groups like AlShabaab.
When people hear of the group al-shabaab they think of a group that was started by nasty
people that aim to kill and destroy life. That is not true because this group was started for
revenge. The al-shabaab is a terrorist group surrounding jihadist philosophies where the people
thought they needed to make up for their losses in various wars. They also had to think of
different ways to kill so they will be successful in the future (Hansen). The people saying this
are very ignorant due to the fact that they are saying that they are going to take their anger out on
their own people. This is not the only reason why they take innocent lives of students. At
Garrissa University, students were asked question about the Koran, and the one who failed were

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killed (Could Things get any worse? An atrocity in Kenya). With only four men who were
apart of the al-shabaab group, a group that seeks to take over Somalia and has attacked their
neighbor Kenya. This shows us that the group kills people who do not believe in the Koran and
also shows us that they think their religion is above all others. Those who do not follow and
choose their own path should be exterminated.
The attack at Garrissa University was a tragic event that touched the hearts of many and
shall never be forgotten. In the end there were 142 dead, including six who were police officials
or military soldiers who were also killed, along with the four terrorists (Could Things get any
worse? An atrocity in Kenya). During the attack, students listened to the men laughing as they
killed their fellow students, telling them that their mission was to kill and be killed (Could
Things get any worse? An atrocity in Kenya). Some of the students were found with slit
throats, shot, or with no head (Could Things get any worse? An atrocity in Kenya). This
terrorist attack was barbaric and a horrible way to show how a group can take control over a
whole country in just one mass murder.
The public did not stay quiet about this subject. Many were worried that al-shabaab
would strike again or that they will be targeted by the government because they are Muslim.
Many fear that the ideas of Christianity as being a bad thing because it is being spread to other
terrorist groups and people who are Muslim are afraid the government will go after them (Could
Things get any worse? An atrocity in Kenya). Many are also saying that Aden Duale needs to
resign because they think he knows who is responsible for the terrorist attack (Africa News
Service). Wabukasa says Let us resolve today that these deaths, and those of other Kenyans
who have died previously at the hands of all-shabaab, will not be in vain (Africa News

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service). This terrorist attack has not only affected the lives of those who were killed, it is
affecting the lives of those who are alive by making them turn their back on or be afraid of their
own government.
The group attacked Christians mainly because they took up a majority of the Kenyan
population. Christianity is most popular in Kenya, with the Muslim population takin only 11%,
which is mainly across the Somalia border, and in Mombasa and other cities that are similar (Ken
Chitwood). Many are worried that the Muslims will attempt to kill more, and that the Christians
will retaliate and try and kill the Muslim population. The main goal of al-shabaab was to attack
the biggest religion which would then cause a lot of tension between the Christian societies and
to soon hope that the Christian population would crack.
The families of the loved ones that were killed in this massacre are unsettled and are
confused. A grandmother of one of the kids that was killed in this raid says when I took my
grandchildren to school I hoped they will become a savior to this family. Unfortunately they
have always come back in coffins (Africa News Service). This lady tells us that she has been
around terrorism so much that she has witnessed two of her grandchildren being killed due to
terrorist attacks and she is still confused on why they do it. She also tells us how much she has
lost from her two grandsons being killed and how much devastation it can cause a person in that
circumstance. Many are also blaming the government due to its lack of urgency for this
situation. The attack took one day because the government was not sure if they wanted to step in
(Shia Houthi fought for Aden while Saudi Aircraft bombed their Positions). Lives could have
been saved if the government would have stepped in sooner. This was due to the lack of being
ready for a terrorist attack.

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The President was forced to take action after this tragic event occurred. Vhuru Kenyatta
the president ordered planes to bomb two al-shabaab camps and arrested anyone thought to be
involved in the attack and froze accounts of anyone suspected to be buying terrorist items
(Could Things get any worse? An atrocity in Kenya). Not only did this get the president
involved, but it got the world powers involved too. The world powers took it upon themselves to
reduce Irans nuclear research but may not be needed because it takes about a year to build an
atomic bomb. Although the president has taken it upon himself to get revenge on the terrorists,
there are many other things that need to be done to make sure this does not happen again. For
example he needs to always monitor credit cards for suspicious activity and he also needs to be
more ready for any additional threats so it does not take as long to get ready next time. As for
the world powers getting involved, they did a good job to not only protect that country, but to
protect the whole world from an atomic threat.
This attack will never be forgotten by anyone, and we hope there will never be another
day like this one. Some may not understand why terrorist do what they do, but from this day
forward Kenya needs to be more prepared to stop something like this from happening again by
being able to respond to a situation like this more swiftly. Also Kenya needs to wipe out all
terrorist groups and those who are assumed to be involved in one so we never loose innocent
lives again. The threat of terrorism will always be lingering, it then comes to the question: Are
we prepared to fight back?

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Works Cited
Chitwood, Ken. "Kenyans fear rise in Christian-Muslim conflict." The Christian Century 130.23
(2013): 18. Student Resources in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Could things get worse? An atrocity in Kenya." The Economist 11 Apr. 2015: 46(US). Global
Issues in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Father of Student Killed in Garissa Says University Should Become a Military Camp." Africa
News Service 12 Apr. 2015. Global Issues in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
"Shia Houthi rebels fought for Aden while Saudi aircraft bombed their positions." Spectator 11
Apr. 2015: 9. Global Issues in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Welch, C.E. "Hansen, Stig Jarle. Al-Shabaab in Somalia: the history and ideology of a militant
Islamist group, 2005-2012." CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries Jan.
2014: 917+.Student Resources in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.