Mogadishu, (insidesomalia.org)-Almost every day, a report comes out of Somalia that would have attracted the world media were it from another country.

But for Somalia the frequency of such stories is such that the big story would be when violence stops.

Kenyans residing near Somalia bear a big burden. Whenever war escalates, we bear the burden for no mistake of our own.

Recently, there was panic when Kenyan military planes came out to hunt down members of the Islamic al-Shabaab militia, a group linked to al Qaeda.

Many residents of both Dadajabula Town in Kenya and across in Doble, Somalia, waved white clothes in plea for peace.

The drama was triggered by suspected al Shabaab fighters who attacked a Kenya police post in Dadajabula seeking to free three men – including two Britons of Somali extraction – who had crossed the border illegally.

The attackers seized a police vehicle and weapons, and also seriously wounded a policeman.

The forceful Kenyan response to the attack is perhaps understandable in light of an incident a year ago when two policemen kidnapped by militants were found murdered on the Somali border.

Nevertheless, the innocent always seem to end up suffering twice when terrorism happens: from the terrorists and from the official force going after it.

Indeed, no less than one million people have been displaced by fighting in Somalia, thanks to the Islamic militants. The

International Committee of the Red Cross sees “no immediate improvement in a humanitarian crisis in Somalia that aid workers say may be the worst in Africa”.

The general conflict is not the only reason so many people are suffering. The terrorists of the al Shabaab have a history of targeting aid workers.

In January, five people working for Doctors Without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres), among them a Kenyan doctor, lost their lives to a roadside bomb.

In April, two men working for the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation were kidnapped.

Shortly afterwards, four workers were murdered. They were committing the unpardonable crime of building a school.

That terrorists target -aid workers -  is not surprising, considering that their goal frequently is to cause as much publicity as possible by acts of spectacular, random brutality.

According to Kenya Police, more than 240 Kenyans have been killed by these terrorists in the past decade — a price over and above the economic damage caused by terrorism, such as harm to the tourism industry.

Terrorists seem to like crossing borders in their activities, but no doubt the affected countries must respond as Kenya often does. But where does all this leave us, the innocent?

Source: Daily Nation