Face veils seized after Mogadishu beachfront attack

Security forces in Somalia's southern city of Kismayo have seized hundreds of Islamic face veils from female residents, the city's police chief says. Warsame Ahmed Gelle said the authorities have been conducting operations to ‘fight’ the veils, also known as niqabs. BBC News reports that the crackdown was sparked by concerns that jihadists could conceal their identity and carry out attacks. Large parts of southern and central Somalia are controlled by al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda and has waged a brutal insurgency for nearly 20 years against the UN-backed Government in Somalia. Dozens of people were killed in an attack at a popular beachfront location in Mogadishu on Friday. Women caught wearing the niqab face imprisonment or a fine. Because al-Shabab controls much of southern Somalia, Kismayo and its surrounding areas are the only places in the state of Jubaland where authorities can enforce the ban. The state initially introduced the niqab ban in 2013, citing security concerns.