- Group of more than 10 armed militants attempted to enter construction site around 9am
- KDF in coordination with other security units chased away the militants who fled into a nearby forest
Kenya Defence Forces on Saturday repulsed an attempt by suspected al Shabaab militants to force their way into a construction camp at Milihoi on the Lamu-Garsen road.
The camp belongs to H-Young company currently constructing the 135km road.
The group of more than 10 armed militants was, however, successfully repulsed by Kenyan soldiers around 9am.
Lamu county police commander Moses Murithi said KDF in coordination with other security units chased away the militants who fled into a nearby forest.
He said enough security personnel had been deployed to pursue the militants. Murithi appealed to members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious persons.
“There was an attempted al Shabaab attack at Milihoi area by about 10 heavily armed militants, just a few metres from the H-Young construction camp. They attempted to gain entry into the camp after which there was a fire exchange before the militants were subdued and repulsed by our able KDF soldiers. They fled into the forest but the situation is contained now,” Murithi said.
There was tension on the road as private and public transport vehicles were forced to cut short their journeys upon sighting heavy military presence following the incident.
Many reported hearing gunshots and explosions forcing them to turn back to where they had come from.
This was the second attempt by al Alshabaab on the H-Young construction camp this year.
A similar attempt by heavily armed terrorists to gain entry into the camp was thwarted by KDF on February 9.
During the February attempt, the militants torched an excavator belonging to the company and a lorry transporting cement to the new port site LAPSSET from Mombasa.
There were no casualties as the drivers of the two vehicles managed to escape.
The recent attempt comes just after KDF soldiers taking part in the Linda Boni Operation killed 12 al Shaabaab militants and captured one following a successful raid on a hideout at Ngina in Lamu.
The raid also resulted in the killing of a notorious al Shabaab commander from the coast region who had been providing intelligence and logistical support to the militants.
The KDF recovered three AK47 rifles, seven magazines, over 1000 rounds of ammunition, pouches and a water carrier among other items.
Edited by Henry Makori