Decoding The Return Of Alshabaab In Lamu
Increased terrorist attacks orchestrated by suspected Al-Shabaab extremists have compelled the Lamu security committee to return to the drawing board.
Unlike in the past, terrorists have been ambushing in new areas, as evidenced by intelligence reports and an examination of the attacks over the past two months.
In recent days, terrorists in Lamu have devised new methods for conducting ambushes and murders, including the creation of new terror hotspots along the Lamu-Witu-Garsen road and other routes after the previous ones were sealed off in March 2018 by the establishment of security compounds.
Ndeu, Milihoi, Mambo Sasa, Nyongoro, Lango La Simba, and Gambaon on the Lamu-Witu-Garsen road are terrorist strongholds where the government has managed to halt militant attacks.
In addition, there is the Mlima Faru on the Witu-Pandanguo route and the Kwa Omollo Bridge on the Hindi-Boni Forest-Kiunga Road.
On Tuesday, Al-Shabaab militants conducted twin assaults in the Koreni and Hindi-Bar’goni regions, severely damaging a cargo truck. In addition, eight individuals narrowly escaped death after two-morning assaults by the heavily armed Al-Shabaab. In the recent attacks, Lamu’s security agencies were caught off guard.
For instance, the August 1 attack that resulted in two fatalities and ten injuries occurred in the Mwembeni region, which is situated between the two infamous terror strongholds of Nyongoro and Lango La Simba.
Mwembeni is located approximately four kilometers from Nyongoro and five kilometers from Lango La Simba. On Tuesday, the terrorist also carried out an attack and ambush in a new location, Koreni, as opposed to the six-kilometer-away Milihoi region.
Al-Shabaab also launched an ambush at an unanticipated location along the Hindi-Bar’goni road, causing a cargo truck to catch fire after being struck by a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG).
Two occupants, including the truck driver and his turn boy, escaped unharmed and hid in nearby shrubbery until they were rescued hours later by the General Service Unit (GSU) from Mokowe camp.
The security committee, led by County Commissioner Louis Rono, as well as police and military officials engaged in the ongoing multi-agency security operation Amani Boni in the dense Boni Forest convened at Witu to discuss strategies for dealing with and ending the region’s recurrent attacks.
In attacks carried out by Al-Shabaab in various locations of Lamu between June and August of this year, Al-Shabaab killed eight persons, including the wife of Hindi Ward MCA James Njaaga, and injured tens more.
“We have discussed in detail how Al-Shabaab has contributed to the increased insecurity in this area. We are confident that Al-Shabaab will be eradicated from our county. A security insider who attended Tuesday’s meeting stated, “We’re devising new strategies because the enemy’s mode of operation seems to change with each passing day.”
Al-Shabaab militants had a pattern of ambushing public passenger vehicles and security vehicles in these locations between 2014 and 2017, resulting in the death and injury of civilians and security officers.
Since the establishment of police and Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) camps in the affected areas, however, there has been a significant decrease in the number of attacks, with some locations reporting zero attacks.
While security agencies are searching for new strategies to combat Al-Shabaab insurgents, the majority of residents in Lamu County are now concerned about the region’s growing insecurity.
Decoding The Return Of Alshabaab In Lamu
