Security forces have shot dead a suspected terrorist and injured several others as the government turns the screws on Somalia-based militant group Al-Shabaab.
Special Operation Group (SOG), which is undertaking an operation in Banisa and Mandera North, gunned down the suspect and injured several others, according to a security brief.
“SOG team, which was conducting patrol operations at Ashabito, received information on the presence of Al-Shabaab militants in Ali Wol dam, about 14 kilometres north of Ashabito. The team responded immediately, where they encountered a group of five militants,” reads the report.
The team gunned down one militant and recovered an AK-47 rifle, money and a hand set radio.
The SOG team drawn from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spent the better part of yesterday tracking down other terrorists believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.
“We’re firmly on the ground and a lot is happening, including flashing out the enemy. We shall continue with our operation,” said Mandera County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha.
Senior security officers in Mandera are upbeat on winning the war the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, which has successfully carried out attacks in the region in the past one month, is waging.
Police custody
At least five suspects are in police custody.
On Thursday, a court in Mandera allowed police to hold three suspects for 14 days as they conclude investigations. They were identified as Ali Ibrahim, Abdikarim Maalim Hassan and Edin Ibrein Dalacha.
Ibrahim and Hassan are reportedly Kenyan, while Dalacha is believed to be Ethiopian.
In a sworn affidavit, Mr Boaz Kurgat, a police officer, told the court a source indicated that Ibrahim was involved in an alShabaab attack on January 11, where a civilian vehicle was attacked and its occupants kidnapped.
He was arrested at Shimbir Fatuma township on arrival from Banisa.
Maalim was arrested at Dandu last Monday, while Edin Dalacha was picked up by security officers at Takaba on the same day.
Dalacha is suspected of supplying the terrorists in Mandera with foodstuff.
On January 15, police on patrol in Banisa at Wako Dadacha village battled the militants at a water point, leaving a civilian dead and another injured.
A security brief indicated that the militants used herders as a shield before escaping.
On January 8, Mandera Governor Ali Roba raised the alarm on the return of the militant group in the county.
He said the militants controlled more than a half the county and that all roads were being manned by the terrorists. The State dismissed the claims.
The spat between the governor and State agencies in Mandera was followed by a series of attacks, including an ambush on a bus in Banisa on January 11. The bus was heading to Nairobi
Non-locals on board
Three people were kidnapped on the same day after their vehicle was hit by an explosive along Banisa-Takaba road. The three were found alive a week later.
On January 12, militants stopped a bus plying the Mandera-Nairobi road immediately after entering Wajir County.
The militants, who claimed to be looking for non-locals on board, took Sh40,000 from the bus conductor as well as travellers’ belongings.
On January 13, the militants vandalised a telecommunication mast at Darkale. They attempted to vandalise another mast at Didkuro in Mandera West on the same day.
On January 12, police at Elramu Anti-Stock Theft Unit supported by the military foiled an attack on their camp.
Butchering people
On January 19, the Al-Shabaab militants bombed a telecommunication mast at Sarman in Mandera North Constituency.
It remains unclear why the militants are targeting communication masts in Mandera, but a resident said they could be planning a more serious attack.
“They want to ensure there is no communication first before they carry out more serious attacks, including butchering people,” said Mr Ali Hassan, a resident.
In the past, security briefs have shown that attacks on telecommunication equipment are retaliation against KDF for damaging Hormud masts in Somalia.