One person was injured while six others escaped unhurt when a vehicle they were travelling in was ambushed with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) between Milimani and Baure in Lamu County.
The incident happened at around 8.20 am on Saturday when a vehicle with a team of supervisors at the ongoing construction of the Lamu Port (Lapsset) Spur Road encountered the IED attack reinforced with an ambush along the Milimani-Baure road en route to the construction site.
A police report privy to the Nation indicates that a team of Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers from Baure military camp and another team of General Service Unit (GSU) officers from Milimani were immediately dispatched to the scene and thwarted the attack.
“Yesterday, February 12, 2022, at about 8.20 am, a vehicle from Milimani while en route to LAPSSET Spur Road team site encountered an IED reinforced with an ambush along Milimani-Baure. A team of soldiers from Baure and GSU from Milimani was dispatched to the scene for reinforcement. No death was reported. The injured have been evacuated to Manda Trauma Centre for further management,” stated the report.
On Sunday, patrols were intensified along the route between Milimani and Baure and even in most of the villages within Boni forest.
Locals who talked to Nation said they could see military and police vehicles moving on the roads as well as military choppers hovering in the air.
“We believe the many patrols by security agencies we’re witnessing at the moment is because of the Saturday morning terror ambush. They are pursuing the attackers. We pray that these terrorist elements are completely eradicated so that we can have peace,” said Salim Guyo.
Contacted, Lamu County Commissioner, Irungu Macharia said he was not aware of any incident of terror attack in Boni forest, adding that the area is under the ongoing multi-agency security Operation Amani Boni.
The operation was launched in September 2015 with the key objective being to flush out Al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding within the dense Boni forest.
The incident comes just weeks after several judiciary staff were injured when their vehicle was ambushed and sprayed with bullets by suspected Al-Shabaab militants at Lango la Simba, near Nyongoro, along the Lamu-Witu-Garsen road.
The incident occurred on January 26 at around 5.50 pm. The vehicle was headed to Garsen town from Kipini Mobile Court.
On January 23 this year attackers burnt eight construction vehicles and other equipment belonging to the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) at Kwa Omollo Bridge near Bodhei inside Boni forest in Lamu County.
The equipment, including tippers, rollers, and excavators were being used in the construction of the Sh17. 9 billion Lapsset Corridor Project access road.
