Three people were killed and three others injured on Thursday after a bus they were travelling in was attacked by suspected Al Shabaab militants at Nyongoro area within Lamu County.
Reports indicate that the Lamu-bound bus christened “Mombasa Raha” was coming from Mombasa. It had 44 passengers.
Heavy gunfire was reportedly heard from the scene as some passengers fled into nearby bushes.
Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia, who spoke to Nation, confirmed the incident.
“I have heard of such an incident but I am headed to the scene…I am also liaising with officers on the ground. Details on injuries, casualties or the bus company are yet to be established but I’ll give details soonest,” said Macharia.
Special Security Units have been deployed to the scene.
Read: Police Gun Down Suspected Al Shabaab Member Linked With The Murder Of Cleric
Transport along the Lamu-Garsen road has been suspended as the teams, including the army, comb the area.
Lamu is notorious for such attacks with the militants hiding in Boni forest when confronted by local security teams.
The incident comes barely a month after Al Shabaab attacked a Mandera-bound bus at Kutulo in Wajir.
Read Also: New Tactics Used By Al Shabaab To Lure Youths To Join Jihadist Group
The passengers, reported to be non-locals were aboard a Madina bus which was ambushed by Al-Shabaab between Wargudud and Kutulo area in Kenya’s border town of Wajir. A source says the gunmen targeted non-locals.
Before killing the victims, non-locals were separated from the locals.
On Saturday, Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for a car bomb that claimed the lives of 79 people in Mogadishu.
For the first time, Al-Shabaab apologised to civilian victims of the attack.
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