by FELIX KIPKEMOI
Saturday December 30, 2023
TERRORISM MENACE: Al-Shabab.
Image: FILE
Security officers in Mandera are pursuing at least 20 suspected al Shabaab militants who attacked a police camp in the area before fleeing.
The heavily armed militants are said to have approached the Quick Response Unit (QRU) camp of the Administration Police from the northwest in the Friday morning incident.
They fired towards the camp within proximity of 100 meters before they were repulsed, police say.
"Officers who were alert responded swiftly and engaged them for 15 minutes,” a report reads in part.
There were, however, no reported injuries or fatalities during the gun battle.
“No injuries on our side and all officers accounted while on the enemy side pending confirmation during clearance at first light. Currently situation under control,” it further states.
The latest incident comes in the wake of a series of attacks majorly targeting police camps in the area by the same group.
In August, officers foiled an attempted raid at Elram camp manned by officers from the Anti-stock Theft Unit (ASTU).
The militants are said to have fired explosives at the camp prompting officers to respond.
“The attack was well repulsed, the explosives that were fired by the militias-one rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) landed inside the camp and the other outside causing a fire inside and outside the camp,” police said.
The increase in the terror attacks in the country, particularly in the Northeastern region, came after the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) made an incursion into Somalia in 2011.
This has forced the government to beef up security across the border and deploy specialized units which include the General Service Unit (GSU), Special Operation Group (SOG), and QRU including the Special Forces of KDF.