Ethiopia’s counter terrorism unit reported the capture of two terrorist cells, consisting twenty-five Al-Shabbaab trained terror suspects.

The press release was made on Wednesday evening by the the Joint Counter Terrorism Unit of the National Intelligence and Security Service and the Federal Police.

According to the press release, the terror suspects have been trained by the Al-Qaida-affiliated Somalian terrorist Al-Shabaab and were assigned to promote an Islamic sect Kwarji.

The counter-terrorism unit elaborated that: The first terrorist cell was under the direct command of an extremist group in South Africa and it was captured while making preparations in the western Ethiopian city of Jimma after crossing the border from Kenya.

The second terrorist cell have been in contact and receiving direct guidance and leadership from the Kwarji jihadist movements in Sudan, Yemen and United Kingdom, according to the press release.

The press release claimed that the extremist group had thirty of its members trained by Al-Shabaab. However, it didn’t indicate where the five might be.  

According to Ethiopia’s Counter terrorism unit Kwarji is a copy-cat of Nigeria’s Boko Haram –  opposing tax payment, mobile card purchase, observance traffic rules, modern education and the like.

The press release recalled that adherents of Kwarji sect have been liquidated by security officers in western Ethiopia about twelve years ago.

It is to be recalled that the counter-terrorism unit reported the capture of AlShabaab operative on Tuesday evening.

The previous day Britain’s Embassy in Addis Ababa warned its citizens saying that it has received “credible threat reports of Al-Shabaab’s intent and capability to attack Ethiopia and western interests in Ethiopia”. United States Embassy in Addis Ababa issued similar statement last Thursday.

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