Friday July 14, 2023
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki in hospital when he visited police officers who were injured on Wednesday in clashes with protesters, July 13, 2023.
Image: KITHURE KINDIKI/TWITTER
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki on Thursday visited police officers who he said were injured in the line of duty.
He said almost two dozen police officers are recuperating in various hospitals.
The CS said Kenya's frontline security officers have made tremendous pushback against terrorism operatives despite the setback of the death and injury of a few of the officers.
"Our gallant and patriotic officers have neutralised over 150 terrorists who have been launching attacks on civilians and security agencies in the forward operating bases in North Eastern and Upper Coast regions," Kindiki said in a statement.
"We shall sustain the war against terror until the threat of terrorism is completely and decisively eliminated," he added.
Kenya has in recent months witnessed renewed attacks from the al Shabaab which authorities attributed to sustained pressure from KDF and Somali government-allied troops on their bases in Somalia.
In the most recent attack, at least three police officers were on July 10 killed when their vehicle ran over an IED in Garissa County.
Eight other officers from the Special Operations Group were injured in the 3am attack, police said.
The bomb had been placed on the roadside in the Kiwanja area and the police vehicles were on the move.
The attack came just four days after KDF soldiers and troops from the Somalia National Army (SNA) on Saturday killed 40 al Shabaab terrorists in an offensive on the Lower Juba region that is still under the control of the militants.
The al Shabaab militants were killed in an offensive on their camp in Welmaro, a town located 40 kilometres from Afmadow.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border which is often breached by the terrorists.
The attack on the insurgents was significant in the war against terrorism and a clear indication of the SNA’s determination to defeat the group.
On Monday, Kindiki reaffirmed that the government will win the war against terrorism and violent extremism.
He lauded the security officers who are on the front line fighting terrorists, bandits and other armed criminals.
"The government will triumph in the war against terrorism and violent extremism. Special commendation and appreciation to all the security officers who are on the frontline tackling terrorists, bandits, and other armed criminals," Kindiki said.
He spoke on Monday during the operationalisation of the Igoji subcounty in Meru and installing its first Deputy commissioner, Zuhura Righa.