TERRORISTS are holding sports days featuring egg-and-spoon races in a bid to win over Somali youngsters.

By Dominik Lemanski

Extremist group al-Shabaab – who claimed responsibility for the recent Westgate shopping mall siege in Nairobi – are best known for fighting a bitter civil war in the East African country.

But we can reveal the hardline group has attempted to win over the hearts and minds of locals in the Barrawe region of the troubled state by organising their own post- Ramadan festival.

The games came to light after a recent bout of infighting between rival al-Shabaab factions sparked rumours the group could disband.

So leaders put on the unlikely demonstration of solidarity at a beach in August, led by Sheikh Abu Abdalla – governor for the lower Shabelle region of the country.

Festivities included potato sack races, musical chairs, traditional military exercises, egg-and-spoon races, rope-balancing games and even motorcycle riding.

Observers claimed the unlikely get-together was the result of local leaders who are loyal to al-Shabaab boss Ahmed Abdi Godane hoping to portray a united front before ­hundreds of residents in the strategically important port town.

Those living under al-Shabaab rule are subject to the most draconian version of Sharia law, which is often violently enforced.

Football and music are banned, women are forced to cover their faces in public and are lashed if they don’t obey.

News of the fun-packed event came just days after pictures emerged showing White Widow terror suspect Samantha Lewthwaite posing in Halloween-style snaps with her children while on the run.

The former Aylesbury-based schoolgirl and wife of 7/7 suicide bomber ­Germaine Lindsay used a picture ­editing app to add comedy effects to a series of photos featuring her children, including a purple witch’s hat and a policeman’s helmet.

Dubbed “the world’s most wanted woman”, Lewthwaite is suspected of involvement in September’s Nairobi terror attacks that claimed the lives of 70 people, including five Brits.

In 2010 al-Shabaab carried out its first overseas terrorist attack when two suicide bombers killed 67 people watching the World Cup final on TV in Kampala, Uganda.

Source: Daily Star