Police pursue militants who raided Lamu village 'to preach'

A contingent of security personnel has been dispatched to Mangai, Lamu County after more than 100 heavily armed suspected Al-Shabaab fighters invaded the village on Saturday evening.

Confirming the incident to Nation.Africa on Sunday, Lamu County Commissioner Wesley Koech said the gunmen gathered locals at one place, preached then distributed dates (fruits) to them.

Mangai is among the villages located in Boni Forest that are predominantly occupied by the Boni minority community, most of whom are Muslims currently observing the holy month of Ramadhan.

“There was an incident where armed suspected Al-Shabaab militants ambushed Mangai Village in Boni Forest. I am informed that they lectured the villagers and distributed date fruit to them before leaving for an unknown destination.

"The good thing is that no casualties were reported in the Saturday evening incident,” said Mr Koech.

Reinforcement 

Following the incident, more security agencies were deployed to Mangai and its environs by Sunday morning to pursue the terrorists with the government assuring the public that the situation is under control.

Mr Koech called on members of the public to cooperate by sharing information with the security agencies that will help to flush out criminal elements in Lamu County.

He noted that security agencies across Lamu County had been on high alert, especially since Ramadhan kicked off early this month.

The county commissioner said he is aware that criminal elements might take advantage of the Ramadhan period to spread their extremist ideologies so as to deceive and divide citizens based on religion.

“That’s why yesterday's militants lectured the Mangai residents and gave them dates in the name of Islam but those are criminals and people should just report them once they see them in their vicinity. We’re alert and there’s no cause for alarm,” said Mr Koech.

Heavily armed 

Some locals interviewed in Mangai said they saw tens of people armed with AK47 riffles approaching their village at around 6.30pm on Saturday.

Gubo Salim said he was seated in front of his hut when he saw the armed men, most of whom were hooded.

“Some were wearing military regalia and holding guns. I was not deterred since I thought they are part of the security agencies manning our area. They ordered us to gather in one of the corners of the village before introducing themselves as Al-Shabaab. They taught us about the importance of respecting Islam and its teachings, including protecting it in whichever way,” said Mr Gubo.

He said the militants preached for about 30 minutes before they distributed dates fruit to them as ‘Ramadhan gift’.

“They said they are our friends and that they have no intention to harm anyone. They said they came to help their fellow Muslims by providing them with the dates as they observe Ramadhan. Before leaving, they warned us never to tell the police or the military about their presence and visit,” said Mr Gubo.

'Masked'

Another resident who requested to remain anonymous said almost all the militants had their faces masked and wore jungle attire that looked like that of Kenyan soldiers.

“They were so many, about 150 or so. They told us not to cooperate with the government. They said they were enemies of the state, particularly the security agencies whom they claimed were killing their innocent Muslim brothers and sisters,” he said.

A police report seen by the Nation also affirmed that about 150 Al-Shabaab operatives invaded Mangai at around 6pm on Saturday as locals were preparing for evening prayers.

“The Al-Shabaab operatives invaded Mangai Village which is about 80 kilometres South West of Mangai Border Patrol Unit (BPU) camp. They had earlier probed the camp before splitting into two groups where one of the groups was left manning the camp as the other one entered the village.

“They looked for the area chiefs and National Police Reservists (NPR) officers from the said locality. They later lectured the locals before distributing dates fruit to them and later left for an unknown destination. No casualties were reported during the incident. The area still remains tense. Any further progress report to be communicated,” the report stated.

Security operation

Boni Forest, where the Saturday incident occurred, is among key areas that are closely under security surveillance and monitoring due to the ongoing multi-agency security Operation Amani Boni (OAB).

The operation, initially known as Linda Boni, was launched in September 2015 with the key objective being to flush out Al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding in the dense Boni Forest.

The operation has so far undergone various rebranding from the initial ‘Linda Boni’ to Boni Enclave Campaign, Operation Fagia Msitu, and now the Operation Amani Boni (OAB).

It is undertaken in efforts to stabilise Lamu and parts of Tana River, Garissa and Kilifi that border the expansive Boni Forest towards the Kenya-Somalia border.

It is conducted by the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in conjunction with the National Police Service (NPS) and the National Government Administration Officers (NGAO). KDF is, however, designated as the lead agency.

In August 2015, about 100 suspected Al-Shabaab militants ambushed Basuba Village in Lamu East Sub-County at around 5am where they preached to the residents for one hour before fleeing to the nearby forest at 6am.

In 2018, at least 50 heavily armed suspected Al-Shabaab militants invaded Ishakani Village, also in Lamu East, in the morning where they gave the residents a one-hour radical lecture. Ishakani village is on the Kenya-Somalia border.

skazungu@ke.nationmedia.com