Kenya to invest in modernization of KDF artillery in Al-Shabaab war

NAIROBI - Kenya will modernize the Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] artillery as one of the latest moves to help in degrading the Al-Shabaab militants, Defence Minister Aden Duale has confirmed, following increased terror attacks along the porous Kenya-Somalia border.

At a security meeting in Garissa, Duale, who served as a politician within the county, said the country will buy sophisticated armored personal carriers which can be able to detect Improvised Explosive Devices [IEDs] just before the explosion.

At least 22 officers have died in the last 2 weeks in Garissa and Lamu counties, while one suspected Al Shabaab terrorist was arrested last Thursday on the Garissa - Dadaab road by a multi-agency team. The latest wave of attacks has caused a security scare in the country.

The CS said the government will in the next three months buy sophisticated equipment to help the police and the KDF in the fight against Al Shabaab and that the government will not be intimidated in any way.

But to further prepare security forces, Duale, who was accompanied by senior security chiefs, said locals will be directly involved in chatting security matters within Kenya. Also to be contacted are traditional elders and religious scholars who hold high influence among members of the Somali community along the border.

Just as Duale held the security meeting, miles away, a fresh al-Shabaab attack in northeastern Kenya was reported, in an area between Ali Gedi and Guba, in Banisa sub-county. The Al-Shabaab militants targeted a security vehicle escorting public transport vehicle.

Officials said three people were killed including two soldiers as a result of an explosion from an IED that targeted the security vehicle. Experts say the increased attacks are motivated by the ongoing crackdown against the group in Somalia, forcing some militants to cross over the border to carry out retaliatory attacks.

The KDF is intending to move closer to Kenya's border from Somalia upon full exit from the Horn of Africa nation. Kenya is among the Troops Contributing Countries and has been playing a key role in degrading Al-Shabaab, a group fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE