GARISSA, Kenya, Jan. 26 — Kenyan police on Monday launched security operations in the northeastern border region after al-Shabaab militants killed two people.
The police said a school teacher and a local government official, known locally as the chief, were killed in a dawn attack by al-Shabaab militants at Hulugho town, Garissa County which borders Somalia.
“A multi-agency security area is currently pursuing perpetrators of this cowardly act. The area has been secured and an operation is ongoing to apprehend those responsible and ensure they face the full force of the law,” police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
The statement came hours after al-Shabaab members struck at around 1:30 a.m. local time at the home of the Boma location area chief, situated about 400 meters east of the police station.
“They killed him by use of an AK-47 inside his house,” the police said in a security report which added that the militants then detonated an improvised explosive device on his private vehicle.
The militants also shot at the Hulugho police station in what officials termed as a probing mission, but no one was injured in the attack at the station, which seemed to have happened simultaneously as that on the local village.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border, which is usually breached by the terrorists. Garissa County and other areas near the Kenyan-Somalia border have been riddled with runaway insecurity, with several attacks that have claimed lives. (Xinhua)
