Suspected Al Shabaab militants engaged in a deadly gun battle with National Police Service (NPS) officers in the Pandanguo area of Lamu County on Tuesday morning.
The exchange of fire began moments after a police Land Cruiser carrying officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) was ambushed. The GSU officers’ vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) at 9:30 a.m.
Lamu West Deputy County Commissioner Gabriel Kioni said there was an exchange of fire between the suspected terrorists and the NPS officers. However, he said no casualties had been reported as of yet.
The police Land Cruiser had left the Pandanguo GSU camp and was on its normal morning patrol in the area bordering Boni Forest when the incident occurred.
Another police cruiser carrying Kenya Defence Force (KDF) officers on a rescue mission also hit an IED. A police source said there were casualties in the second incident.
The incident occurred just seven days after the National Intelligence Service (NIS) issued a warning of possible terrorist attacks, urging security agencies to be vigilant.
On Sunday, June 11, 2023, the NIS warned that Al Shabaab militants had begun to regroup to wreak havoc in the country.
The NIS’s warning came after a series of attacks by Al Shabaab militants in the Lamu region. In May 2023, the militants attacked a hotel in Lamu, killing 10 people.
The latest attack is a reminder of the threat posed by Al Shabaab militants in Kenya. The government has stepped up security in the Lamu region in recent months, but the militants continue to pose a threat.
The government has urged citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
