Security forces in Kismayo, Somalia, have begun confiscating Islamic face veils, or niqabs, from women due to concerns that jihadists might use them to conceal their identities during insurgency attacks. According to the city’s police chief, Warsame Ahmed Gelle, the crackdown began last Wednesday with officers stopping women in the streets and mandating the removal of their veils. The ban was first introduced in 2013 but was rarely enforced. However, a recent surge in the garment’s use heightened security concerns and prompted the authorities to take the ban seriously. Kismayo and its neighboring areas are the only places in Jubaland where authorities can implement the ban, given that al-Shabab militants control large parts of southern Somalia. The group, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has been waging an insurgency against Somalia’s UN-backed government for nearly 20 years and the crackdown follows a deadly attack it recently orchestrated in Mogadishu.
SOURCE: BBC
Somali Police Ban Veils Over Security Concerns
