Shabaab militants flee into Boni forest after police, KDF overpower them

Security agents engaged in a fierce gunfight with heavily armed suspected Al Shabaab when they attempted to raid Juhudi Primary School IDP camp in Lamu on Thursday.

Lamu West Deputy County Commissioner Gabriel Kioni said the attackers tried to force their way into the camp.

The attackers exchanged fire with Kenyan security officers for about 10 minutes but fled into the nearby Boni Forest when they were overpowered by the team of National Police Reservists, police officers and Kenya Defense Forces soldiers.

The Juhudi IDP camp was established shortly after the June 24,2023 terrorist attacks at Juhudi and Salama villages that left five people dead and six houses torched.

"They shot randomly at the camp hitting houses and trees but our security forces repulsed them. KDF threw tracers in the air that lit the place helping see the attackers and they overpowered them,” said Mr Kioni.

The security team is undertaking an operation to hunt down the attackers in Salama,Juhudi,Widho areas.

The Thursday attack comes just two days after suspected Al-Shabaab militants killed two people,a driver and his co-driver, at Lango La Simba along the Lamu-Witu-Garsen road.

Prior to the killing at Lango La Simba,the terrorists had also been repulsed after they tried to force their way into the Pandanguo General Service Unit (GSU) camp, also in Lamu West and about 25 kilometres from Lango la Simba area.

On Monday night, the suspected Al-Shabaab militants torched eight houses and a church at Salama Village in Lamu West, slaughtered goats and chicken and went with the meat. 

They also stole television sets, solar panels and lamps.