Al-Shabaab militants raid police station in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya - Suspected Al-Shabaab militants on Wednesday raided a police station in northeastern Kenya, in the latest attack which comes before the Christmas festive season, and just a week after police in the country identified some hotspots for security beef.

At least three people died following the attack with two of them being members of the disciplined forces according to an official government report. The victims were traveling in a police vehicle and were ambushed along Hayley Lapsset Camp and Garissa town according to George Seda, the police spokesperson.

The attack began when the police vehicle was demobilized when it hit an explosive device planted on the road, said police and witnesses. Usually, Al-Shabaab militants implant Improvised Explosive Devices [IEDs] before they ambush their targets using guns.

The attackers then fired a rocket-propelled grenade which killed two officers and a civilian, said the statement. Several other people escaped into the bush and their whereabouts are still unknown, it said. The attackers then set the vehicle ablaze. The area is near Kenya and Somalia border.

Police officers and members of the elite Ranger Squad from the Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] have been deployed to the area to pursue the attackers, with the government insisting that perpetrators will face the law. This was the first major attack along the porous border in as many months.

Last week, the government of Kenya intercepted several Al-Shabaab foreign fighters crossing over from Somalia in what is attributed to the ongoing crackdown against the group in the country. Authorities in Kenya noted that the majority of those arrested were from Ethiopia and Tanzania.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced that in a matter of weeks, the country will declare HirShabelle and Galmadug Al-Shabaab-free states, adding that the operation against the group has been largely successful. The president also noted that the group no longer has the capacity to recruit more members.

GAROWE ONLINE