KDF troops kill 4 Somalia-based militants after Lamu bus attack

NAIROBI, Kenya - Al-Shabaab on Thursday suffered casualties following retaliatory attack waged by Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) at the coastal town of Lamu.

John Elongate, the coastal Regional Coordinator, said Special Forces killed the four militants near the scene where they had unleashed on two buses.

During the attack, he said, one militant was arrested and detained pending trial by the court-martial, he said, adding that operation to arrest others was ongoing.

The coordinator, however, did not give details on whether those killed were involved in Thursday morning attack. He did not also confirm the number that unleashed on the passengers.

Transport services resume in Lamu

Although initial reports indicated that only one bus was attacked, the government has since said that three buses were on the scene.

Three passengers aboard the Mombasa Raha bus were killed while several others were injured. Two buses were also in the convoy to Mombasa from Lamu during the attack.

Elongate told reporters that transport services have since resumed along the Lamu-Garsen-Mombasa route under the strict surveillance of the police.

Public Service vehicles, he said, must be accompanied by the police during the trips. Police have imposed movement restrictions in the area.

"We have a full escort schedule ... all vehicle owners must adhere to the prescribed procedure," the officer said, adding that normalcy has been restored.

KDF intensifies operations in the vicinity

Efforts to arrest suspected Al-Shabaab militants in the region are ongoing with the Special Forces from KDF coordinating the activity, he said.

Kenya deployed KDF and other security forces in Lamu through the act of Parliament. The county is earmarked as a terror hotbed.

"Operations against criminal elements and groups are continuing under the county security committee, which includes KDF," Elongate said.

Boni Forest which borders Somalia has witnessed intensive operation by security forces in recent months, keeping the militants at bay.

In the process, a number of IEDs have been detonated, besides the destruction of Al-Shabaab training camps in the dangerous forest, KDF had confirmed.

All passengers accounted for in attack

Dozens of passengers escaped unhurt during the attack, with some vanishing into the thick Boni Forest to avoid Al-Shabaab bullets.

But the government now says all those who shielded themselves in the forest have been accounted for, contrary to information that scores may have died

“No one remains in the bush. All the passengers in the two vehicles -- Simba Coach and Mombasa Raha -- have been accounted for. The TSS bus wasn’t attacked. The bush is clear,” he said.

A fortnight ago, Al-Shabaab militants carried a similar attack in Wajir, killing 11 passengers in a Mandera-bound bus. Most of the casualties were police officers.

Mostly, the Al-Shabaab militants target Christians or non-locals during such sophisticated attacks involving commuter vehicles.

Leaders condemn the latest attack

Coastal leaders joined the families of the victims, condemning the attack which further exposed the weak internal security mechanisms of the country.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho said: “I am extremely saddened by the news of yet another terror attack. This is unacceptable in this day and age."

Joho added that "we have no choice but to be accommodative of one another. My deepest condolences and sympathies go out to the families affected".

Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha described the attack as cowardly and said leaders will continue to cooperate with the security agencies to end crime.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms this cowardly attack on innocent, defenseless travelers," he said, thanking security forces in the process.

Al-Shabaab claims responsibility

Shortly after the attack which would have otherwise left many dead, Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility.

According to the Somalia-based militants, their forces targeted "Christians" traveling in the buses and spared Muslims.

The group vowed to continue unleashing on the non-locals and security forces stationed in the area, which is otherwise prone to terrorist attacks.

In 2014, the militants also killed over 70 people in Mpeketoni within the county. Over 70 percent of Lamu inhabitants are Muslims.

GAROWE ONLINE