Help fight Al-Shabaab, Mandera residents told after militants raid mosques, lecture locals

Mandera residents have been urged to help flush out Al-Shabaab as it emerged that militants were seeking refuge in the county after being cornered in Somalia.

Militants raided two mosques in Mandera on Saturday and lectured locals.

Political leaders, clan elders and government officials challenged residents to emulate their neighbours in Somalia and join the fight against the terror group.

The calls started during Mashujaa Day celebrations last Thursday as the Al-Qaida-linked group continued to spread its tentacles in different parts of the county.

Mr Mohamed Abdinoor Gesse, a clan elder, asked locals to be at the frontline in the fight against the terror group by sharing information with security agencies.

“Our neighbours are chasing away their enemy, who is running into our county. I know our government is very much aware. Let our government remain alert and resist any attempts by the enemy to cross into our country,” Mr Gesse said.

The national government, he said, should empower police reservists and deploy more security agents on the border with Somalia.

Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha challenged the local community to join security agencies in the fight.

“We are facing security challenges from our neighbours but we are determined to win this fight. I am asking the local community to join us so that together we can fight the enemy,” Mr Kyatha said.

He claimed the militants are aided by some locals in their activities in Mandera.

“Among these people frustrating us are our own sons who are assisting the enemy to get into interior areas of Libehiya and Ashabito. Investigations have shown that our own sons are part of this problem,” he said.

Eject Al-shabaab

He added: “We must stand up as a community and eject Al-Shabaab. We need development in this county and not destruction. We want our children in schools”.

He said elected leaders in Mandera should put their words into action and help fight the militants.

“We have to take up the responsibility of fighting the enemy just like our neighbours are doing. We must wake up as a community and fight the militias. We need information about the enemy from the locals,” Mr Kyatha said.

The national government has always urged residents of Mandera to share information on Al-Shabaab operations in the county.

Just hours after the calls for unity against the militants, the group raided two mosques in the county and lectured locals attending morning prayers on Saturday. 

Armed with AK-47 rifles, the militants went to Elram A and Elram B mosques and took over the session for a while.

Elram, which is near the Kenya-Somalia border, is a terror hotspot, according security officials.

The area is considered a gateway for Al-Shabaab militants who enter Mandera and Wajir counties from Somalia.

Fight militants

At both mosques, militants urged residents to join them in fighting the government just like the government was asking locals to help fight militants.

A police report showed no one was injured in the incidents but two armed militants were on guard at the main entrances at both mosques.

A General Service Unit (GSU) camp in the same area was targeted by the same militants after they lectured locals in the mosques.

They fired rocket-propelled grenades at a communication mast in the camp but missed the target.

This was the second such incident this month after an attack at Libehiya Primary School in Arabia sub-county a week ago.

Sightings of armed militants have been reported in different parts of Mandera following the ongoing operation in Somalia to flush them out.

“We are headed to a more difficult moment as more of the militants cross into Mandera to hide from the ongoing operation in Somalia,” said resident Hassan Ali.

In Somalia, civilians have joined government forces in fighting the militants in their towns and villages.