EVENT SUMMARY
Police in Fino Town in Mandera County on Thursday 28th July 2016 dawn raid were engaged in a fierce shootout with suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists.
The police did a commendable job by fearlessly engaging the suspected militants who were trying to plant Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on a targeted communication mast.
Last month a communication mast was destroyed in Dhamasa area by suspected Al-Shabaab terrorist group with an aim of cutting communication between the locals and security agents.
The police managed to repulse the militants before they could further cause much damage to the communication mast in Fino town which seemed to be their primary goal.
Analysis / Forecast:
- The destruction of communication masts is key in that, in case of an attack, the communication between locals and security agents will not be possible.
- The militants targeting communication mast signals early signs that the Somali based militant group is in preparation for an attack.
- Mandera-Lafey locality believed to have an active militant cell and recent terror activities in the area signals an alarm that the militant group desperately testing capabilities of pulling a huge raid.
- Security to be heightened, armed police/army patrols to be increased, collect as much intelligence from the locals (HUMINT) as possible to help thwart, neutralize attacks before inception.
