Pupil injured in a suspected terror attack in Mandera

A Standard Seven pupil is nursing injuries after suspected Al-Shabaab militants hurled explosives into their school in Fino, Mandera County.

The pupil was in a group that had assembled to listen to the area’s member of the county assembly (MCA), security agencies said.

The incident happened at Fino Primary school at about 6pm on Tuesday evening.

Reached for comment, Lafey Deputy County Commissioner Juma Twabara denied reports that a terror incident had happened in his area.

“I am not aware of any terror-related incident in Fino. Nothing has been reported to my office, but we have special forces in that area who have a different kind of protocol when reporting on any security incident,” Mr Twabara said.

Fino MCA Abdimalik Mohamed Ibrahim confirmed that he was in a meeting with teachers and pupils when explosives were hurled at them.

“It was at about 5.50pm while I was in a meeting at the school when explosives were thrown at us. The pupil who was closer to me was injured,” Mr Ibrahim said.

The pupil was admitted to Mandera County Referral Hospital with injuries in left hand.

“Our security officers in the area engaged the attackers in a shootout as they ran towards Somalia. I personally brought the injured pupil to the county referral hospital,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim had arrived in the area earlier in the day on a fact-finding mission, and held several meetings with several groups.

Borehole committee

“I had met the security team in Fino and borehole committee members before I proceeded to the school to meet teachers and pupils when the incident happened,” he said.

He said he had also presided over the reopening of the Fino Health Centre that had been closed for about eight months after its lone health officer was abducted in February.

Mr Jackson Kabuu, a clinical officer, was abducted by suspected Al-Shabaab militants. The militants struck at 7.30pm on a Friday and went straight to the houses of three medical officers.

They left with Mr Kabuu but released the other two.

The whereabouts of Mr Kabuu are unknown, with reports suggesting that the militants crossed into Somalia with him.

“I also came to deliver drugs to the facility and present a new health officer to the community. The only health facility in Fino had remained closed for long after the February incident,” Mr Ibrahim said.

Before the Tuesday evening incident, residents had reported seeing armed militants in the area, the MCA said.

“Locals had reported the presence of the militants in the area and I want to thank the security agencies for their quick response that saved many lives,” Mr Ibrahim said.

Fino is one of the areas in Mandera that continue to record terror incidents because of their proximity to Kenya’s border with Somalia.

Two mosques

On Saturday last week, militants raided two mosques in the county and lectured locals attending morning prayers. 

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, local security agents say.

The area is marked as a gateway for Al-Shabaab militants entering Mandera and Wajir counties from Somalia.

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

Two armed militants kept watch at the main entrances to the two mosques as their colleagues lectured locals. A police report said no one was injured in the incidents.

A General Service Unit (GSU) camp in the area was attacked by the same militants after they lectured worshippers.

Rocket-propelled

The militants fired rocket-propelled grenades at a communication mast at the GSU camp but missed their target.

This was the third attack this month after one at Libehiya Primary School in Arabia sub-county 10 days ago.

Reported sightings of armed militants in Mandera County are on the rise as an operation in Somalia continues 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 to fight Al-Shabaab militants in their towns and villages.

The Kenyan government has urged Mandera residents to provide information on the militants’ activities.