Two killed, one injured in suspected Shabaab attack in Lamu
Kenya Defence Forces soldiers patrol Kotile area on the Lamu-Garissa border.
Two people were on Monday killed while one was critically injured when a vehicle they were travelling in ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) suspected to have been planted on the road by al-Shabaab militants.
The 9.30am incident happened at around Border Point 27 which is several kilometres past Ishakani Village in Lamu East.
Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia told Nation.Africa that a Land Cruiser belonging to a contractor was extensively damaged.
“Two people lost their lives during the incident while a third one was critically injured. Our security responded promptly, the hunt for the perpetrators is ongoing,” said Mr Mcharia.
Arrest terrorists
He called on the public to continue cooperating with the security agencies in the area and give information that would aid in the arrest of the terrorists.
“Residents should not panic. Let them cooperate with security and provide information if they spot any suspicious individuals for prompt action,” said Mr Macharia.
The incident comes barely one month after one person died when a water bowser headed to Usalama Camp, where the Kenya-Somalia border wall is being built, ran over an IED suspected to have been planted by al-Shabaab militants.
The vehicle, which had two occupants, was ferrying water for the ongoing construction of the border securitisation wall, when the incident occurred at around 7.30am on March 23.
In January 2016, five police officers were killed while three were injured when a Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) lorry they were travelling in ran over an IED along the Hindi-Kiunga road in Lamu. The officers were heading to Usalama Camp near Boni Forest.
The construction of the security border wall had in early 2020 been postponed for several weeks after the contractor ran out of building materials. Labourers were, however, recalled to Usalama camp in March the same year to proceed with the construction.
The 700-kilometre wall, dubbed the Kenya-Somalia Border Securitization Project, was mooted in 2015 to secure the country from attacks by the Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorists.
The entire project plan includes having designated immigration and custom entry points with a two feet tall concrete wall fitted with CCTV cameras.
