At least 10 General Service Unit (GSU) officers were injured in a Sunday, June 18, morning attack in Lamu after their vehicle ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
Confirming the incident, Lamu West Deputy County Commissioner Gabriel Kioni stated that the attack was suspected to have been staged by al-Shabaab militants.
After the vehicle fell, the militants were reported to have engaged the officers in a fiery exchange. However, Kioni stated that there were no deaths reported in the first incident.
A response team from the General Service Unit (GSU) was also ambushed during the attack while rescuing the injured officers.
“According to reports, militants emerged from the forest and attempted to attack the officers after the vehicle crashed. An exchange of fire ensued with no casualties reported thus far.
“The APC was first hit by a roadside bomb, and when a team aboard a Landcruiser responded, they were also hit and we have casualties,” he stated.
Kioni added that the GSU officers were conducting regular operations in the Pandanguo area, which borders the Boni Forest, where a multi-agency security operation is underway.
The operation dubbed Operation Linda Boni began in 2015 to flush out the militants believed to be hiding inside the Forest.
In a separate incident on May 2023, six GSU officers were injured after their vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device in Rhamu, Mandera County.
The officers were driving in an official vehicle headed for Mandera Town when they ran over a set bomb. The bomb was believed to have been set up by al-Shabaab militants operating in the area.
The Police, in a statement, noted that there were breaches in the area near the Kenya-Somalia border, by terrorists who attack and escape prompting more officers to be deployed in the area.
Locals were urged to work with security agencies to tame the trend.
