Three Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) personnel were on Tuesday killed and six others injured in a suspected Al-Shabaab attack in Lamu’s Boni Forest.
Lamu East Deputy County Commissioner George Kubai confirmed the incident, saying tens of soldiers were aboard a KDF vehicle travelling from Kiunga Town to Sankuri when it ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) at Badaa area at around 1.40pm.
The area of the attack is also deep inside the dense Boni Forest where a multi-agency security Operation Amani Boni (OAB) is ongoing.
The operation was launched by the national government in September 2015 with the key objective being to flush out Al-Shabaab terrorists believed to be hiding inside the dense Boni Forest.
The vehicle was extensively damaged as it exploded shortly after running over the IED. Mr Kubai appealed to members of the public to share information with the security agencies that will help deal with the enemy.
“So far, an operation to hunt down the attackers is ongoing on the ground. Evacuation efforts are also on for the casualties. It is our humble appeal to members of the public to cooperate with us. Kindly provide us with crucial leads even as our security agencies are already combating, pursuing the enemy,” said Mr Kubai.
The Tuesday attack comes at a time when Lamu has in recent times witnessed improved security and general calmness. For over three months now, no Al-Shabaab attack has been documented in Lamu.
The last recorded terror attack is that of April 5, when security agencies repulsed an attempted night ambush by the terrorists to a General Service Unit (GSU) camp in Basuba in Lamu’s Boni Forest.
During the attack orchestrated at around 10:45pm, the terrorists divided themselves into three groups, where another group also attempted to raid the Basuba Village but was met with resistance from National Police Reservists manning the area.
Basuba village is home to over 300 residents, mostly from the Boni minority community. The GSU camp, which was targeted first by the attackers, is about 50 metres away from the village.
On March 15, over 100 suspected Al-Shabaab insurgents raided Mangai Village, also in Boni Forest in Lamu County.
During the incident at around 6:30pm, heavily armed terrorists gathered locals at one place and lectured them for minutes before distributing date fruits to them as Ramadhan gift. No one was injured during the raid. Mangai is about 19 kilometres from Basuba Village.
