Kenya’s Security Forces Countering Al-Shabaab Militancy in Mandera

SECURITY BRIEF

In the past three weeks Kenya’s Northeastern County of Mandera has witnessed a series of ambush by the Somali based jihadist group the Al-Shabaab.

Intelligence service had warned of growing Al-Shabaab active cells in Northern Kenya.

Last week militants moving in a small group of about ten fighters managed to ambush a bus and a lorry headed to Mandera, ordered for Muslims to separate from Christian.

Muslims shielded Christians travellers and declined the order to be separated, vowed to die protecting their fellow Kenyans. Two people were killed in the incident.

Saturday 26^th December 2015, as KDF and Kenya police were doing patrols in Garsesala within the town of Dabacity spotted suspects planting roadside improvised explosives.

Terror suspects panicked when they saw security forces approaching and in the process detonated the IED killing one of their own instantly.

According to Mandera County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia, several other suspected militants fled with injuries.

Though there has been intensified police patrols, the militants in the have been targeting KDF officers from Elwak military camp who often go to fetch water from Garsesala Dam.

Mandera Governor Ali Roba has claimed of some intelligence gathered from local pastoralists which indicate that several suspected militants in small groups of between 6 to 15 have crossed into Kotulo locality from Somalia in the past three weeks.

The governor urged local residents to cooperate with security officers to track and neutralize the terrorists’ threat in Mandera County and broader Northeastern region of Kenya.

Security forces urged to increase on-foot patrols to counter Al-Shabaab who are now operating off-road and on foot.