KDF kills Al-Shabaab militants in Kenya Forest, destroy camp

NAIROBI, Kenya - Special Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers Sunday stormed Al-Shabaab camp in Boni Forest in a sting operation that saw them kill several militants and destroy their hideout.

Highly placed security sources confirmed the incident to Nation and shared photos and videos of the operation’s aftermath.

The number of terrorists killed was not immediately clear, but the Nation counted up to four bodies from the photos shared by our sources.

During the operation, the soldiers recovered an assortment of equipment including hand grenades, several rounds of ammunition, mini-solar panels, and radios.

The soldiers also found Islamic literature and clothes at the camp.

In the humbling attack against the Shabaab group, the Kenyan soldiers took their time to destroy the camp, torching some of the equipment.

Video clips

From the video clips taken at the camp, there were several bags believed to belong to the terrorists, an indication that there were more than the numbers of those killed.

The operation by the special forces happened only a week after suspected Al-Shabaab militants staged a daring attack on Border Patrol Unit officers who were escorting passengers along the Lamu-Gamba Road in Nyongoro.

The police officers engaged the militants in a gun battle that saw the attackers flee into the thick Boni Forest.

Since the attack, a sting operation was launched to hunt down the attackers who were believed to have crossed from Somalia through Garissa and then to Tana River County.

An intelligence report had indicated that the militants were planning to carry out attacks targeting police officers and key security installations within Lamu and Tana River.

Security beefed up

Following the attack, Coast regional security bosses said security would be beefed up during this holiday season.

“All our security forces have been deployed in the key areas. You heard that the other day our officers foiled an attack by those people and that was because of the readiness by our officers. We have things under control,” said Coast Regional Commissioner John Elungata when he spoke on security preparations during this festive season.

He confirmed that the terrorists were being pursued since the attack that happened on December 20.

This year, the KDF and police officers in Lamu — which has been the target of the attacks by Al-Shabaab — have managed to tame the attacks.

Since the beginning of the year, the terrorists only managed to carry out two attacks at the Coast with both happening in January.

Among the two attacks was the one at the Manda Bay training camp where five Al-Shabaab terrorists were killed. Three Americans were also killed during the attack.

The other attack targeted passenger vehicles where three people were killed and three others injured after an ambush by the militants on the buses that were heading to Lamu from Mombasa.