A recent upsurge in Al-Shabaab attacks in Lamu has left the local population on edge.
Reports indicate that assailants fired upon multiple vehicles, resulting in the tragic deaths of two individuals.
These attacks have raised concerns about the security situation in the region and the persistence of terrorist threats.
Al-Shabaab militants are feared to be on the rise again after executing a series of planned attacks in various spots in Lamu. Photo| Files
Suspected militants targeted travelers along the Lamu-Witu Garsen highway. The assailants, believed to be Al-Shabaab militants, used semi-automatic guns in their assault.
One vehicle attempting to evade the gunfire tragically lost control and veered off the road, ending up in a nearby bush. After a period of uncertainty, the occupants of the vehicle have been located and accounted for. The incident occurred as the vehicles were en route to Mokowe in the Milihoi area.
In a separate incident in the Koreni area of Lamu, another suspected Al-Shabaab attack unfolded between Hindi and Bar’goni in Lamu West. According to Gabriel Kioni, the Deputy County Commissioner for the region, the attack transpired around 10:30 a.m.
The assailants targeted a lorry transporting goods, striking it with a rocket-propelled grenade. As a result, the lorry was engulfed in flames. Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the lorry’s driver and turnboy remains unknown.
These incidents add to a series of recent Al-Shabaab attacks in the past month. On August 1st, Al-Shabaab militants ambushed five vehicles at the intersection of Lamu and Tana River counties.Thus, two individuals died while ten others got injured.
However, Interior and Administration Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced on August 2nd that the government had neutralized up to 60 terrorists. These include those responsible for the August 1st attack.
“All of the people who attacked our people yesterday have been neutralized. All of them.
Kithure Kindiki
To address the escalating threat, the government is ramping up security efforts in the Northern Eastern and upper coastal regions. This approach seeks to detect and neutralize potential terror threats before they materialize.
Communities in Lamu are uniting with authorities to confront this shared challenge. The government’s determination to counteract the threat will undoubtedly play a crucial role in maintaining peace and security for the people of Lamu.
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