The government yesterday banned flights to Somalia and closed Kenyan airspace to planes from that country in a security operation aimed at preventing a possible terrorist attack. At the same time, a major security operation by the Anti-terrorism Police Unit and the General Service Unit continued in Nairobi's Eastleigh area, home to thousands of Somali refugees. The swoop started on Friday and continued throughout the night and most of yesterday. About 100 people, mostly young men, were taken in for questioning.
| Got a little bit of detail to work on, did they? |
At the same time, the US embassy in Nairobi has been closed until possibly Wednesday in what US officials are describing as "new and concrete information concerning the continuing threat of terrorist activity in Kenya and East Africa". The closure came as it was confirmed that US President George Bush would be visiting Africa next month, but would not come to Kenya, again because of "security concerns". Mr Bush will start his six-day visit, his first to the continent, on July 7 and is expected to visit Senegal, South Africa, Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria, according to the White House. Though the intended destinations were not announced before the original trip, which was postponed because of the war in Iraq, Kenya was among the countries likely to be visited. It has now been ruled out.
| And now the Bad Guys will have to change their plans. We tend to forget how much Bush's life remains in danger. Dick Cheney's occasional "undisclosed location" is something to joke about — unless the Bad Guys get lucky. |
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