20110502
East African

Nairobi — Kenyan security forces said Monday they will "remain vigilant" in the country's two main cities and along the border with neighbouring Somalia after the killing in Pakistan of Osama Bin Laden.

"Security forces will remain vigilant in Nairobi, Mombasa and the border with Somalia", where Al Qaeda-affiliated Shebab militia have been fighting pro-Somali government forces, military spokesman Bogita Ongeri said.

"We obviously welcome the news of the killing on Osama, but that will not be the end of the war against terrorism," Ongeri told AFP by telephone.

"We will remain vigilant throughout; you remember they warned of attacks recently, and now their leader has been reported killed, we will continue to strengthen our security and the intelligence gathering networks."

Kenyan police started beefing up security some 10 days ago after Shebab rebels threatened to bomb public places such as shopping malls and places of worship over the four-day Easter weekend.

They increased patrols throughout the country, stepped up security measures at government buildings and instructed the shopping mall managers to do the same.

The Shebab, who control large swathes of Somalia and have been engaged in a bruising insurgency against the internationally-backed transitional government, have repeatedly expressed their displeasure with Kenya's stance on the conflict.

Kenya, which shares a long and porous northeastern border with Somalia and has offered assistance to government troops battling the insurgents, has frequently expressed fears that Shebab suicide bombers will strike on its soil.

Al-Qaeda had claimed responsibility for the deadly 1998 truck bombing of the US embassy in central Nairobi that left more than 200 dead and several thousand injured.