Tuesday July 14, 2020
FILE
Kenyan police have confirmed that an al-Shabaab terrorist was killed on Monday by a bomb he was assembling to carry out roadside attacks in Mandera near the Somali border.
Rono Bunei, Northeastern regional police commander confirmed the incident, saying the terrorist was killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) he was planting on the roadside in Geneva area in Mandera County, northeastern region.
“A suspected al-Shabab terrorist was hit by an improvised explosive device at Geneva village in Mandera County,” said Bunei.
“It’s believed he was busy planting the explosive device before it exploded on him,” he added, noting that he was planting the explosive device targeting security agents using the route.
Bunei said they have enhanced security operations to address such incidents, noting that such bombs are set up to target movements of security officers in the region which borders Somalia.
“We can stop such incidents with the help of locals. No one can plant a bomb on a public road without being seen by locals hence the need for their cooperation to stop the trend,” said the police commander who called on residents to cooperate with the police.
Local al-Shabaab sympathizers have also been blamed for the attacks in the region which have always targeted security personnel and civil servants including teachers.
The local residents said the bomb exploded on the suspected militant killing him instantly.
The latest incident comes barely a week after security agencies foiled a hijacking and kidnapping terror attack outside Dabacity area of Elwak in Wajir border with Somalia.
The police said al-Shaabab militants had hijacked a civilian driven pickup vehicle with seven occupants on July 7 but were intercepted as they drove towards Somalia. There were no casualties.
Several security officers and scores of civilians have been killed, many maimed and property worth millions were destroyed in the northeast region since the Kenyan soldiers entered Somalia in 2011 in bid to forestall dangers facing from threats of al-Qaida linked Somali Islamist group.
But Kenya says the deployment of her troops in the southern regions of Somalia has so far helped to prevent the movement of explosives, counterfeit electronics and contraband sugar smuggling across the border.