LAMU, Kenya, Dec 27-Three Al-Shabaab terrorists were Sunday killed by Kenya Defence Special Forces soldiers in a raid in their camp in the vast Boni Forest, Lamu County.
The special forces, in the dawn raid, killed the terrorists and recovered communication equipment and weapons that were being used by the terror group to wreak havoc in the Lamu area that borders Somalia.
During the attack near Bodhai area, KDF soldiers also arrested one terrorist and are holding him for interrogation.
Coast police boss Gabriel Musau said they had intensified operations in the area following reports of the terrorist’s sightings there.
“We have increased operations in the area to rid of the terrorists on the lose,” he said.
There have been fears of attacks in the area in the past weeks. Reports said the terrorists planned to attack a camp in the new year.
It comes days after security agents thwarted a plan to attack a convoy of public service vehicles in the area.
The attackers who had set up explosives on the road escaped.
On Monday, Al-Shabaab militant group abducted and beheaded a chief in Wajir county in a macabre attack.
They had abducted a group of local security officials together with the chief before they released them and later killed the administrator.
The torso of Assistant Chief of Gumarey Sub Location Mr Omar Adan Buul was missing when the head was found on Monday.
Buul was abducted from the village on Friday when a gang of Al-Shabaab raided there and lectured the locals.
They then went with the administrator for unclear reasons. It is not clear what motivated the macabre killing of the assistant chief.
The decapitated head was found placed on the roadside between Khorof Harar and Konton by herders.
The herders called police who picked up the head before taking it to the local mortuary.
Police said they are still looking for the body.
Al-Shabaab militants have been roaming the area in the past two weeks threatening large scale attacks.
The terrorists had a week ago attacked a communication mast in Mandera county.
They also attacked the same area two ago and destroyed a police station before escaping. Security agencies are on alert in the border area following reports the terrorists are planning an attack.
There are fears of more such attacks after dozens of the militants crossed from Somalia to Kenya in Garissa border.
The gang was in three groups when they crossed into Kenya with an intention of attacks on security officials.
The border region has bore the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by locals.
Somalia has not had a stable government after the fall of Siad Barre in 1991.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
The Al-Shabaab have been staging attacks 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 in what they term as soft targets.
An increased security personnel has been deployed to the area and operations by the Border Patrol Unit heightened to tame the surge.
Kenyan troops under AMISOM are in Somalia to pursue and suppress the activities of the terror group.
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