A section of leaders from Garissa County have urged the government to change tact in the fight against terror.
The leaders were reacting to Saturday’s incident in which 11 GSU officers aboard a land cruiser from HarHar camp were killed instantly when their vehicle ran over an Improvise Explosive Device (IED) between Liboi and Damajaley.
A massive joint operation involving the Kenya Defense Forces, the Kenya Police, Rapid Response Police unit and the Administration Police were immediately dispatched to hunt down the attackers believed to be Al-Shabaab.
According to sources the attack is believed to have been planned and executed from the sprawling Dadaab refugee camps.
Addressing the press in Garissa town Sunday, Dadaab MP Mohamed Dahiye said the militant are known to renew their evil activities along the border during rainy season.
“Because they get plenty of water while trekking, they can move freely and far. Our officers should adopt foot patrols. Vehicle have become extremely dangerous for our officers. They should change their tact and do more foot patrols in localized areas,” Dahiye added.
He described the dead as gallant officers who paid ultimate price while protecting their motherland.
“We stand with the families of those who lost their lives in this incident. We are also asking other officers deployed at the border not to be discourage by this act,” Dahiye said.
The MP noted the closure of the Kenya-Somalia border could be contributing to terror attacks because there is massive movement of goods through the porous border.
He said the militants are generating revenue from goods shipped to Kenya by scaring away security officers along the border by staging attacks to allow entry of smuggled contraband goods.
The legislator said it was time the national government made the Dadaab-Liboi road an all-weather road to ease patrols by security agencies adding that its current status fueled terror activities.
“The militants take advantage of the bad roads to plant IEDs targeting security officers on patrol,” Dahiye who was accompanied by Liboi ward representative Hussein Ahmed claimed.
Al-Shabaab insurgents have in the past staged attacks in Kenyan soil mainly targeting security officers and civil servant in border regions. In June 2019, at least four people were killed after their vehicle ran over an IED in the border town of Kulan
By Jacob Songok
