- He was taken through what the front operating teams go through to fight the militants operating there.
- The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by residents.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki began a two-day tour of parts of northern Kenya to assess the security situation there.
The area has been under frequent attacks by al-Shabaab militants amid calls for more action to tame the trend.
There are fears of more attacks planned in the area amid heightened vigilance.
Kindiki and his team landed in Mandera Thursday morning and toured various places to check on operations against terror-related incidents.
It was his first such trip to the area. He met troops on the frontline and informed them they will get more operational equipment.
He was taken through what the front operating teams go through to fight the militants operating there.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by residents.
The terrorists at times plant explosives on the routes used by security agencies and attack them.
The team was scheduled to tour parts of Marsabit, which is also facing cases of radicalism and violent extremism and inter-ethnic clashes.
There are cases of cattle rustling in the Marsabit that have left dozens dead and others injured.
Officials said Kindiki would meet various groups and address them. Somalia has not had a stable government since the fall of Siad Barre in 1991 which has left the country to be a breeding ground of terrorists.
There is a new drive to contain the menace. The militants’ attacks in Kenya have left hundreds dead and many in hospitals.
As part of efforts to contain the militants activities, Boni Forest in Lamu was declared an operation zone as the national government has since 2015 conducted a multi-agency security exercise dubbed Linda Boni, which is aimed at flushing out al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding there.
Kenya also began the construction of the 700-kilometre-long wall in 2015 to stop the militants from crossing into and out of Kenya. But there has been resistance from some locals.
The wall, which is known as the Kenya-Somalia border securitisation project, is among others meant to secure the country from attacks by the Somalia-based al Shabaab terrorists.
The project plan includes having designated immigration and custom entry points with a two-foot-tall concrete wall fitted with CCTV cameras.
Trenches are also being constructed in the area.
The plan includes the creation of at least 22 border posts on the border with well-equipped personnel to respond to any form of aggression.
Officials say once complete, the teams will be spread 40 kilometres apart to enable quick response to attacks from militants.
The fence especially in Mandera and Lamu has helped reduce incidents of attacks by the militants who often crossed at will.
Research by government security agencies says 30 per cent of the country’s security problems are traced to the porous Somalia border often penetrated by terrorists.