KDF repulses Al-Shabaab attack in Kenya

Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/B. Curtis

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] and other multi-agency security teams repulsed the Al-Shabaab attack in Lamu on Tuesday morning, reports indicate, in the latest incident which shows coordination between security teams and locals within the Republic of Kenya.

For the last three months, the Al-Shabaab militants have increased attacks within Kenya, leading to the mobilization of security forces in response to infiltration, particularly along the porous border, which remains closed at the official entry points.

According to multiple sources, Al-Shabāab al-Mujāhideen Terrorists attacked the Maplotini farming village in Witu and burnt crops along with homes before KDF and officers from National Police Reservists [NPR] aptly repulsed a large-scale attack targeting civilians.

In Pandaguo the terror group probed the elite GSU Camp with RPG and assault rifles, witnesses said. Lamu County which shares Boni Forest with Somalia has been a major battlefield between Al-Shabaab and multi-agency security teams that have been conducting operations in the country.

The government of Kenya activated Operation Amani Boni in the spirit of flushing Al-Shabaab militants along the Kenya-Somalia border. The operation is partly boosted by the closure of the Kiunga-Ras Kamboni border point, which is deemed as insecure by security teams from both countries.

Repulsing of Al-Shabaab terrorists on Tuesday is a projection of continued effective preemption of attacks in Lamu is an indicator of better intelligence collection, consumption, and exploitation by National Government Administration Officers [NGAO] and National Police Service [NPS], experts say.

During a recent interview, Defence Minister Aden Duale urged locals in Lamu to move closure to security teams, admitting that the dense forest has partly made it difficult for the security teams to dismantle Al-Shabaab militants, who have been penetrating further to the East Africa nation.

Al-Shabaab militants are seeking to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia, but cooperation between security teams has made it possible to counter the group from making further advances. Al-Shabaab has also suffered immense losses in recent operations within Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE