Two killed in twin Shabaab attacks in Lamu

Two people died while an unspecified number were injured in a twin attack by suspected Al-Shabaab militants near Gamba Police Station at the border of Lamu and Tana River counties Wednesday evening.

Lamu County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said a a Toyota Probox vehicle registration number KCD 542F, which was ferrying unknown number of occupants from Garsen to Lamu, was sprayed with bullets by heavily armed gunmen suspected to be Al-Shabaab militants at 7pm Wednesday.

Mr Kitiyo said one man was shot dead in the attack

DESTROY

The second attack happened about 50 metres from the first one.

An Isuzu lorry of registration number KAQ 158V, which was also carrying an unknown number of occupants from Malindi to Lamu, was shot at and one person killed on the spot.

The attackers also destroyed an electric pole belonging to Kenya Power in Gamba.

Earlier, police sources on the ground had reported that three people were killed during the incident.

“I am already on the ground with my officers. I will give more details once I receive full report on the incident,” said Mr Kitiyo.

LANDMINE

The incident comes barely weeks after four people were beheaded by suspected Al-Shabaab militants at Maleli village in Witu, Lamu West.

The incident happened on August 18 this year.

On August 2, three Tana River County officials were killed by Al-Shabaab terrorists when their vehicle ran over a landmine at Nyongoro area on the Malindi-Garsen-Lamu highway.

The militants torched the vehicle with the officials inside.

On the same day, five passengers aboard a Kipini Raha bus to Kipini from Malindi were injured when armed men suspected to be Al-Shabaab militants opened fire on the bus at Nyongoro.

The attacks were reported even as Kenya Defence Forces and the police conduct a security operation to flush out Al-Shabaab from Boni Forest.