Al-Shabaab militants killed in 4-hour fierce gunfight in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya - Police Reservists in Wajir killed four Al-Shabaab militants during a fierce gunfight on Monday, officials said, in the latest success against the Somalia-based terrorists in northeastern Kenya.

The NPRs opened fire at the militants at Kakabey village, between Qarsa and Ausmudule in Wajir County, police said. It's still not yet known how many reservists were injured during the shootout.

Thomas Ngeywa, the Wajir County Police Commander, confirmed the Monday morning incident. The shootout, he added, took about four hours at 10 am local time.

Police Reservists [NPR] usually man the region and were on regular patrol when they encountered the militants. The site of the latest battle is about 8 kilometers from the Kenya-Somalia border, the officer said.

"Earlier today we received reports that some of our police reservists who were on routine patrol encountered an unknown number of suspected Al-Shabaab militants in Qarsa area before a gunfight ensued resulting in casualties," he said.

Already, he noted, Special Forces drawn from KDF has since secured the region. However, the commander did not confirm the number of reservists who were injured in the rare shootout.

"I cannot confirm the number of casualties at the moment but we are aware that four militants were gunned down," he told reporters, adding that "our KDF team is now in charge".

Unconfirmed reports indicated that two police reservists were critically injured during the gunfight. They have since been taken by the KDF team for specialized treatment, reports indicate.

Although all the Northern Frontier Districts which include Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera are secured by KDF troops, some sections are manned by the reservists. This is a team of poorly paid former officers who are picked to serve the government in insecure regions usually in contracts.

For the last four months, the militants have been targeting the NPR team, which usually constitutes of locals. To "retaliate" against them for helping KDF to gather "intelligence", the militants have been torching their houses besides abducting their kin.

So far, at least five people from Wajir County cannot be accounted for after their abduction in February, police records indicate. KDF is still tracking them in Somalia, officials added.

But despite the latest battle, Wajir has enjoyed relative peace since February after a series of unprecedented attacks by the militants, with the record standing at seven raids in 2020. Many non-local teachers have since left the county.

Last month, KDF troops gunned down six militants in the neighboring Garissa. Days later, the militants suffered another heavy casualty at Lamu within the coastal strip of Kenya, where 12 of them were killed.

Kenya has beefed up security within its border with Somalia, mainly targeting the group's financiers. Dr. Fred Matiang'i, the Interior Minister, recently said that "we shall close their illegal businesses, we have no room for those criminals and their sympathizers".

In Somalia, Al-Shabaab has continued to suffer massive losses due to joint cooperation between Somali National Army [SNA], AMISOM troops and the US Special Forces, reports indicate.

For instance, the US bombardments have killed over 60 militants through airstrikes this year alone. Some of the top targets that have succumbed include Bashir Qorgab, who was linked to the Manda Airfield attack and Yusuf Jiis.

Kenya is one of the key contributors to AMISOM, having deployed close to 3,000 troops in Somalia. The team is tentatively set to withdrawal in 2021 when AMISOM mandate ends, officials said.

GAROWE ONLINE