Friday June 26, 2020
Tension was high at Sangole in Ijara, Garissa, on Wednesday after an undetermined number of militants suspected to be al Shabaab ransacked shops and set them ablaze.
Residents of the border outpost accused security officers of laxity and not fighting al-Shabaab militants whom, they say, have caused a lot of suffering in the area.
The attackers, according to residents, struck on Tuesday midnight, shooting aimlessly before torching four shops.
An administrator told the Star by phone that the militants were spotted by herders before the attack.
They had earlier looted other shops in the locality.
“They burnt to ashes four shops. The owners are left in destitution. Nothing could be salvaged,” the administrator, who decline to be identified since he is not authorised to speak to the media, said.
The fire was still smouldering at daybreak.
“Spent cartridges were all over after daybreak. There was anxiety and fear amongst local residents,” activist Noor Tolkey said.
Tolkey said locals had reported the presence of the militants but the security forces had not confronted them.
Al Shabaab has wreaked havoc in areas near the border.
Residents called on the government to boost security in the area.
Two months ago, the militants killed an ambulance driver and two others when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device at Sangailu.