AP officer dies, 6 hurt after car runs over IED in Lamu

A lorry which ran over a landmine in Mararani, Lamu on June 27, 2017.after running that claimed the lives of 8 people including four pupils and four police officers On September 10, 2017, an AP inspector died while 6 other officers were injured after their vehicle ran over IED in the same area. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Some of the injured officers went missing after the attack and were found Monday morning.
  • Mr Kitiyo said the injured were taken to various hospitals within Lamu County.
  • In the last two months, security agencies have been grappling with insecurity in the region.

An Administration Police officer has died with six others being injured after a vehicle they were travelling in ran over a homemade bomb in Mararani, Lamu County.

The explosive is believed to have been planted by suspected Al-Shabaab militants on Sankuri-Mararani road in Lamu East.

“The incident happened yesterday (Sunday) evening when the officers were on their normal patrol. We are still in pursuit of the attackers,” said Coast regional police chief Larry Kieng.

Police sources said some of the injured officers went missing after the attack and were found Monday morning.

12 ON BOARD

Lamu County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said the vehicle had 12 police officers on board when it ran over the explosive device.

Mr Kitiyo said the injured were taken to various hospitals within Lamu County.

“We are investigating the matter,” he said.

The attack came a day after Coast Regional Coordinator Nelson Marwa raised concerns over the crackdown to flush out the Al-Shabaab terrorists who are hiding in Boni Forest.

Mr Marwa’s concerns came following a series of attacks in the county in the past few weeks.

Last week, four people were beheaded in two villages in Hindi, Lamu West by the suspected Al-Shabaab militants.

The attacks occurred in Silini-Mashambani and Bobo villages.

INSECURITY

In the last two months, security agencies have been grappling with insecurity in the region.

Meanwhile, security officers conducting the ongoing Operation Linda Boni in Lamu have discovered and destroyed three key Al-Shabaab hideouts at Lango la Simba in Witu, Lamu West.

Speaking during a security meeting at Mahrus Hotel in Lamu Island on Sunday, Linda Boni Operation Director Joseph Kanyiri said the hideouts were discovered by the Kenya Defence Forces soldiers and officers from the National Police Service manning the area.

He said the hideouts were being used by the militants to conduct attacks in the area, especially on vehicles plying the Lamu-Gamba-Garsen road.

On August 2, three Tana River County officials died after their vehicle was torched by suspected militants in the same area.

On the same day, five passengers were injured when the bus they were travelling in was sprayed with bullets by the militants.

Recently, two people died after a Toyota Probox car and a lorry were sprayed with bullets.