The attackers issued a clear demand: Kenya must withdraw the forces that it deployed two years ago as part of an international effort to drive al-Shabaab out of Somalia and return the country to government rule and a semblance of normal life. Their strike, they said, was intended chiefly as a warning to Kenya’s government: change your policy, or else.
袭击者提出了明确的要求：肯尼亚必须把两年前部署在索马里的军队（作为将青年军赶出索马里的国际行动的一部分）撤出索马里，把索马里还给政府，恢复正常生活的表象。他们说，此次袭击主要是作为对肯尼亚政府的警告：改变政策，否则后果自负。袭击者还做足了戏告诉全世界，他们采取了特别措施，在整个事件中保证穆斯林安然无恙。