How KDF Scrambled for Al Shabaab Terror Group Attack in Lamu Killing 20

A l Shabaab terrorists thought the Kenya Army base in Baure was not prepared for an attack. According to military intelligence, KDF ability was miscalculated and viewed as sitting ducks by the terrorists.

The army was prepared and strategically deployed to preempt any form of attack from both convectional or unconventional enemy like the Shebaab.

National Intelligence Service (NIS Kenya) and the Kenya Defense Forces Directorate of Military Intelligence top brass, early June 2015, analyzed critical threats reports on an imminent threat posed by Somali based Islamist group Al Shabaab on Lamu area specifically the army, police officers, and civilians, besides made recommendations to preempt the threat.

Saturday 13th June 2015; 19:04Hrs East African Time, The Intelligence Service and the Directorate of Military Intelligence shared critical intelligence from the NIS counter terrorism team and decided all military camps and bases be on “STAND-BY”

Battle Damage Assessment & Summary: 

1. 0500HRS EAT; 60 elements of the Somali based Islamists Harakat Al Shabaab al Mujahideen attacked a Kenya Army troops base in Baure area  in Kiunga, Lamu County of Kenya. Military men on standby mode responded to the attack.
2. 12 terrorists were killed by army troops during the counter attack including British jihadist Thomas Evans and Luqman Issa, the commanders of the group.
3.  Kenya Defense Forces Personnel intercepted another 5 Al Shabaab gunmen as the terrorists attempted to deploy to Mpeketoni and other areas of Lamu County to attack villages and pillage towns.
4. 2 Army officers from the infantry killed during the operation against the terrorists and 2 were wounded but are in stable condition.
5. An assortment of weapons including rocket propelled grenades, IED’s, Video cameras, memory sticks, Soviet Era Kalashnikov, and ammunition were captured.
6. No civilian was killed in the attacks which were supposed to coincide with the June 2014 Mpeketoni attacks where 60 people were killed.
7. Mpeketoni Memorial event was the target of the terror attack which was effectively preempted.

Event Analysis

Copying Boko-Haram morning raids on Maiduguri villages in Nigeria, Al Shabaab hoped to make headlines but failed after robust intelligence gathering and counter-intelligence by the Kenyan security services.

Al Shabaab celebrated their deaths. It was a fatal miscalculation. They did not have an idea the army men were on standby mode, besides highly capable and well armed.

Al Shabaab strategy involved sending dozens of fighters to attack villages and towns besides pillage them as the main group of 100 militants would attack fleeing villagers and cut them off in the bushes.Intelligence analysts report Al Shabaab had launched the attacks inside the villages in an attempt to instill fear and cause the villagers to disperse into the forests.

Local youths who support the terror group were involved in these attacks. These youths provide logistical and tactical advice to the terrorists groups before and during the attacks.

If the Al Shabaab Mpeketoni Memorial terror attack succeeded, over 500 villagers would have been slaughtered inside the forests.

The terrorists would have filmed the killings in the early morning hours.

The Kenya Army was able to cut off the main terror group from the pockets of bandits tasked to scare villagers out of their homes into the bush thus effectively preempting what would have been the worst massacre of innocent Kenyans by terrorists.