LAMU, Kenya, Jan, 3-Several Al-Shabaab militants on Monday killed 6 people in Lamu County and torched several houses, police, and witnesses told Shahidi News.
The Monday morning incident happened in Widhu, Majembeni area.
According to police sources, one of the victims was shot dead, another was hacked to death, and the four others were burnt to death while in their house.
“We are pursuing the attackers, Lami County Commissioner Irungu Macharia told Shahidi News.
Security agencies were on high alert after the attackers were sighted in the Boni forest while on the move.
“We are worried that there might be more attacks,” a local who witnessed the incident said.
On Monday morning, tension was high as security officers swept through the area, in a bid to nab the suspected Al-Shabaab militants and avert any further incidents.
“They used similar tactics as before,” a survivor said.
On January 1, two boda-boda riders were killed after their motorcycle hit a bomb that had been planted on the road.
The incident happened in Kiunga, Lamu County.
“The Improvised Explosive Device had been set by Al-Shabaab militants,” anti-terror detectives who spoke to Shahidi News said.
The rider who was in the company of a pillion passenger was ferrying khat to a town near the Kenya-Somalia border when his motorcycle was hit. Police said that the two died on the spot.
“They used a bomb that explodes on pressure as opposed to the usual one of using wires and timers. This is a concern for all,” a bomb expert attached to the National Police Service said.
Police headquarters now says security officers and more so in areas of Mandera, Wajir, Lamu and parts of Kilifi Counties are on high alert following the incidents.
“We urge the public to report any suspicious activities in their areas,” Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai said.
A multi-agency security exercise dubbed Linda Boni has been ongoing since 2015, with a motive of flushing out militants believed to be holed up in the expansive forest, extending to Somalia.
The Al-Shabaab militants are said to cross to the country at will, through the porous border with Kenya.
While there have been pockets of terror attacks, the country has enjoyed relative calm.
Police are said to have thwarted tens of attacks over the period.
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