At least six suspected Alshabab militants were over the weekend killed after Kenyan security agencies got a tip off and ambushed the rag tag terror from their hideout in Garissa County.
Preliminary reports from the undercover security operation indicated that Special Forces in Ijara Sub County pursued the lead and waylaid the unsuspecting militiamen at Jirole area of Kotiile division.
Ijara Deputy County Commissioner Samson Towett confirmed the incident saying one of the heavily armed militants surrendered to the forces after they were outgunned during the raid and was undergoing further interrogations to establish the extent of their activities in the country.
He said the security team got wind of their presence in the region before laying the ambush and gunned down the militiamen who at the time of the contact were moving in a single line making it impossible for them to counter the attack.
Towett said there were no casualties among the Kenyan forces and took the opportunity to commend the team and the members of the public for swiftly informing the authorities in time about the militia incursion at the Somalia border
He said the local community was increasingly alarmed and fed up with the heinous activities of the militia group in the wake of sporadic attacks on Kenyan soil that has brought the education sector in the region to a grid halt after teachers fled schools for security reasons.
Towett declined to divulge more details but said their mission in the country may soon be established after investigations were concluded sincer they intercepted and stopped on their track on their way to Kotile Divisional headquarters.
He called on the residents to be vigilant and report any suspected character to the security teams operating in the area including the Kenya Defence Force, the national police and police reservists.
The incident comes hot on heels of the latest attack last month in which the Al-Shabaab terror group claimed responsibility for the killing of some parents of locals who had enlisted with the Kenya police Reservists unit to create fear and despondency among the local communities to give in to their activities on Kenyan soil.
The Change of tact also saw the militants burn their houses and property to dissuade the local community from cooperating with the government agencies amid reports that some locals were sympathetic to their cause.
by Mohamed Dahir
