Security agencies operating in Lamu have embarked on a campaign to mop up suspected al Shabaab militants' hideouts.
This will help them get hold of suspected militants who reportedly attempted to ambush a civilian convoy disguised as security officers last week Thursday.
Residents who volunteered reports to the authorities identified Pandanguo, Nyangoro, Taksile, Mangulo and Durweyn as possible hideouts for the criminals owing to their thick vegetation.
The operation which started on Friday comprises special teams from the KDF and NPS with youths playing a big role.
"Our youths from all sectors have taken it upon themselves to work with military forces to curb terrorism," mzee Yusuf Athman a local elder said.
Moreover, the residents are said to have been very instrumental in sharing intelligence with the forces, a move that security experts have described as a plus to the operation.
The residents have also pledged to fully cooperate with the government in mopping up the militia’s sympathisers.
"We will give out names of anyone supporting the militants. If you give food or any information to the militants then you are part of them," one of the village elders at Koreni village said.
"We are giving parents and relatives of these crooks a one-week amnesty to surrender to authorities reports leading to their arrest or risk public wrath," warned a local elder who sought anonymity.
The elder said facilitators and sympathisers of the terror group will be targeted from all angles and treated as terrorists.
Meanwhile, elders and religious leaders in the area have pledged to help counter the propagation of al Shabaab ideologies for the sake of local and Kenya's peace and stability.
Discreet information from a senior multi-agency security officer confirmed that special forces had subdued them and taken control of their hideouts.
"We have already cornered them they will have either to surrender or perish in there," the officer said.
The reports were also echoed by residents citing that they had heard a heavy exchange of fire which has since quelled signalling the defeat of the militants.
