At least 3 KDF soldiers killed, 7 injured in Lamu IED explosion
FILE IMAGE OF A POLICE LINE
At least three Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers were Tuesday killed while seven others are nursing injuries following a tragic explosion on their vehicle on the Kiunga-Sankuri road in Lamu County.
This happened after an Improvised Explosive Device went off at Badaah area, police and witnesses said of the Tuesday July 15 incident.
Lamu East Deputy County Commissioner George Kubai explained that the soldiers were en route to Sankuri to transport their colleagues when their vehicle hit an IED on the way back near Kiunga.
The injured soldiers were evacuated for treatment at the Kiunga hospital, while a major operation was launched to get those responsible for planting the explosive device, with locals claiming that the area is facing a threat of terrorism.
At the weekend, the Commander Kenya Army, Lt Gen David Ketter made a visit to Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops deployed under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and also Operation Amani Boni (OAB) in Lamu County.
The visits intended to reinforce and maintain troop morale as well as assess ongoing operations.
Lamu is under Operation Amani Boni aimed at driving out al Shabaab gangs operating in the area.
Police have called on locals to share information about the gang behind the incident with security agencies so as to help flush out the militants.
Lamu has for years been the scene of terrorist attacks targeting both locals and security officers.
The most devastating strike happened in Mpeketoni and Kibaoni on the night of June 15, 2014, when more than 90 people were killed.
The area is under special operation code-named Operation Linda Boni to flush out the terrorists there.
The multi-agency operation seeks to flush out al-Shabaab militants from Boni Forest.
More than 100 security agents have been killed in Lamu, Garissa, Wajir and Mandera Counties in IED attacks in past years.
This has affected development in the area at large.