• The victims include a patient who was being transported in an ambulance, two paramedics and a driver.
• They four were abducted on Tuesday, in Elwak area as they raced in the ambulance with the patient on referral.
Four Kenyans who were abducted by al-Shabaab militants near Kenya-Somalia border have been released.
The victims include a patient who was being transported in an ambulance, two paramedics and a driver.
They four were abducted on Tuesday, in Elwak area as they raced in the ambulance with the patient on referral.
Police and local leaders said the four were released and sent back to Kenya on Thursday afternoon.
Lafey MCA Adan Hussein Rahoy confirmed the victims had been released and arrived home safely.
He said they were being talked to and attended to by medics.
No ransom was paid to the insurgents according to Rahoy, who said local elders negotiated the quartet's release.
He said the ambulance is still in possession of the militants, adding that the elders are attempting to broker a deal to have the vehicle released back to Kenya.
The four had been moved to the terrorists’ stronghold in El-Adde, Somalia.
Authorities believe the group was after the ambulance to make use of it in treating their injured militants.
North Eastern head of police George Seda said efforts were being made to ensure safe return of the ambulance.
All the victims are locals and there were high chances they will be released, officials involved in the said.
The four were identified as 40-year-old patient-Moulid Abdi, Hassan Shaaban (driver), Abdirashid Billow Hussein and Aden Dai, both who are staff at Lafey hospital.
The attackers were armed with rifles at the time of the incident. Officials said there have been threats of attacks in the area.
Such attacks are common in the area and they are usually solved through dialogue and use of elders.
Two Cuban doctors were in 2019 abducted from Mandera Town in an attack that left one police officer dead.
Landy Rodríguez Hernández and Assel Herrera Correa were being driven to work when the militants struck and escaped with them. Reports suggest they were later released after a ransom was paid.
A driver who was driving them was later arrested and charged in a Nairobi court and later convicted.
Elwak is near the Kenya-Somalia border and is usually breached by the terrorists who attack at will. Two weeks ago, the terrorists went to two mosques in the area and lectured those present telling them to join them in their quest to fight non-Muslims. They also attacked two communication masts before escaping.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by residents.
Somalia has not had a stable government after the fall of Siad Barre in 1991.