Somalia: Senior Al-Shabaab Commander Vows to Take Holy War to Kenya

A senior commander of the Islamist group al-Shabaab has declared that its holy war will move to the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

Fuad Mohamed Khalaf, a Somali-Swedish national, warned in a speech posted on www.somalimemo.net that the group will hit the city with a wave of teenage suicide bombers.

"We have transferred the war to inside Nairobi," said Khalaf in the speech.

"If they kill a Somali girl we kill a Kenyan girl. Kenyans, wait for Muslim teenage suicide bombers, explosions and battles."

The commander, who is viewed as only second in importance to al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, made a plea to Kenyan Muslims to join al-Shabaab in its fight against Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta's government.

"When their soldiers and war planes kill your people, God permits you to retaliate accordingly, we will fight the Kenyans," he said.

Kenyan officials are yet to comment on the terror group's latest declaration of intent.

The group are waging an insurgency against the Kenyan government to gain revenge for the presence of Kenyan troops in neighbouring Somalia.

Last week, twin bombings hit a Nairobi market killing 10 people just two miles from al-Shabaab's Eastleigh suburb stronghold, otherwise known as "Little Mogadishu".

Eastleigh is almost entirely inhabited by Somali nationals and most of the businesses are owned by Somalis, which experts say allows al-Shabaab -- a predominantly Somali outfit -- to gain a foothold in the capital.

The group was responsible for the siege of Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi in September in which 67 people were killed.