.jpg)
At least 10 General Service Unit officers were Sunday injured when an armoured personnel carrier vehicle they were in ran over an Improvised Explosive Device.
The device is suspected to have been planted on the road by al Shabaab militants at Mlima wa Faru, between Pandanguo and Witu in Lamu.
Police confirmed the Sunday morning incident.
A response team of Kenya Defence Forces was also ambushed in the attack.
“The APC was first hit by a roadside bomb and when a team responded aboard a Landcruiser they were hit and we have casualties,” an official on the ground said.
Lamu West deputy county commissioner Gabriel Kioni said no casualties were reported in the morning ambush that left several security officers injured.
More than 10 GSU officers were aboard the vehicle and were in their routine patrol within the Pandanguo route which borders the vast Boni forest where a multi-agency security Operation Amani Boni is ongoing.
The operation was launched in 2015 with its initial name being Operation Linda Boni.
Its objective is to flush out the militants believed to be hiding inside the dense Boni Forest.
The affected officers are from the Pandanguo GSU camp and were on their normal patrol in the area before the vehicle ran over the explosive.
After the incident, the militants came out of the forest and tried to attack the officers after the vehicle rolled.
“An exchange of fire ensued for some time,” Kioni said.
It was then the KDF team arrived and was also ambushed.
There have been warnings the terrorists are planning more attacks in the area.
Last week, the terrorists killed at least 12 security officials in separate attacks in Lamu and Garissa counties.
The Sunday attack comes in the wake of the marking of nine years since the terrorists attacked Mpeketoni and surrounding areas killing 90 people and displacing many.
It also came after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki visited Lamu for a three-day tour to assess the security situation in the region during which he assured Lamu residents and Kenyans at large that their safety is guaranteed.
Kindiki also said the government will do all it takes to fight and end the terror menace in the country.
“We have already set aside Sh20 billion to purchase advanced security equipment, including armoured personnel carrier vehicles, drones and other gadgets so that our security agencies get proper safety as they effectively fight the terrorists,” the CS said.
Nearby Lamu island is a popular tourist destination with ancient architecture that is listed as a Unesco World Heritage site.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by locals.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
Al Shabaab terrorists have been attacking places in the region, especially in Mandera and Garissa counties after breaching security zones, which left dozens of civilians and security officials dead and wounded.
The terrorists have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies.
They also targeted development projects like roads.
Kenyan troops are in Somalia to pursue and suppress the activities of the terror group. BY THE STAR