Kenyan security agencies at the Coast have issued an alert on a possible terror attack in the region,
This follows a gun attack on a contingent of police officers in Lamu which came barely a day after it was reported that at least 16 gunmen linked to Al-Shabaab entered the country.
Intelligence reports indicate that the suspected militia crossed over to Garissa from Somalia at around 5 am. They then proceeded to Tana River County.
When the shootout broke, 10 Border Patrol police officers escaped the attack along the Lamu-Gamba road in Nyongoro.
The officers were escorting vehicles leaving Lamu to Gamba.
“It was reported that while escorting motor vehicles from Lamu to Gamba, the lead vehicle, GKB 253T, came under heavy attack at Lango La Simba area at about 1115 hrs,” reads a police report seen by the Nation.
The exchange of gunfire lasted for about 10 minutes. The attacker fled after they realized that they had been overpowered
“The escort vehicles, which were behind, reinforced the lead car and the attackers disappeared into the nearby bushes,” added the report.
The report added that the suspected Al-Shabaab grouped into smaller cells and headed to different parts of the country Lamu being one of them.
Now, the red alert issued stated that the Al-Shabaab are likely to damage communication and security installations in Lamu and its environs.
Also, police are on high alert for ambush and have been called up to be more vigilant.
Lamu County Police Commander Moses Murithi said that a joint police operation and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is in pursuit of the Al-Shabaab.
He assured the residents that security remains elaborate especially for travelers plying Lamu-Witu-Garsen which remains a terror hotspot.
The latest attack comes barely a month after another group of Al-Shabaab raided a Border Patrol Station in Garissa and destroyed its armoury.
Last week, another group of Al-Shabaab flattened a new police station in Mandera County.
