Kenya publishes 35 names of Al-Shabaab suspects

NAIROBI, Kenya - Security and intelligence teams in Kenya have published 35 names of suspected Al-Shabaab militants, calling for members of the public to help with identification and arrest, while promising cash rewards for locals who may cooperate in having them taken to police custody.

The 35 suspects, the Director of Criminal Investigation [DCI] said, are masterminds of the terror network responsible for the deadly terrorist attacks in Lamu County and the Boni Enclave generally. Lamu County has lately been a terror hotbed, with the militants succeeding in attacking security teams.

While numerous plots by the Alshaabab and its network have been uncovered and neutralized ahead of time, the Ministry of Interior noted, that several of the attacks have succeeded, resulting in the brutal killing of innocent civilians and security personnel within Lamu County and the Boni Enclave generally.

Kithure Kindiki, the minister for Interior and National Administration, said the militants have been directly associated with the wave of violence in Boni Forest, where the government has been conducting operations for almost 3 years. The dense forest spreads to the neighboring Somalia.

"The 35 terrorists being sought are connected with the placement of Improvised Explosive Devices [IEDs] on various earth roads in the area; the killing of civilians along the Lamu-Witu-Garsen Highway; the cold-blooded murders of civilians at Lango la Simba, Witu, Mpeketoni, Juhudi, Salama, Hindi, and other areas," he said.

The militants are also believed to have planned and executed the attack on the American Military Base at Manda Bay on 5th January 2020. Recently, the US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin III visited Manda Bay Airfield where he interacted with American troops and their Kenya Defence Forces [KDF] counterparts stationed there.

"A substantial cash reward is on offer to any person who provides credible information leading to the arrest of any of the suspects," Kindiki said while asking Kenyans to volunteer information that can lead to the arrest of the 35 suspects.

While the arrest or neutralization of these terrorists remains the most immediate objective, he added, other measures and strategies have been put in place to win the war against terror in Lamu County, the Boni Enclave, and elsewhere in the entire Republic.

Some of the suspects are foreigners but there is a good number of locals listed by the ministry. Kenya is currently conducting operations in Boni Forest under Operation Amani Boni which is being spearheaded by the KDF and other multi-agency security teams from the National Police Service.

GAROWE ONLINE