• The GSU officers were injured when an armored personnel carrier vehicle they were in ran over an improvised explosive device.
• The IED is suspected to have been planted on the road by al Shabaab militants.
Image: FILE
Two Kenya Defence Forces officers were killed as they responded to an attack on a General Service Unit team in Lamu.
Twenty other officers were injured. Of the 20, 12 were GSU officers, while the rest were KDF soldiers.
The GSU officers were injured when an armored personnel carrier vehicle they were in ran over an improvised explosive device at Mlima wa Faru, between Pandanguo and Witu in Lamu county.
The IED is suspected to have been planted on the road by al Shabaab militants.
Police confirmed the Sunday morning incident.
A response team of KDF was also ambushed in the attack leaving dozens injured, officials said.
"The armored personnel carrier was first hit by a roadside bomb and when a team responded aboard a Land Cruiser, they were hit and we have casualties," an official said.
The affected officers are from the Pandanguo GSU camp and were on their normal patrol in the area when their vehicle ran over the explosive.
Lamu West deputy county commissioner Gabriel Kioni said more than 10 GSU officers were aboard the vehicle and were in their routine patrol in the Pandanguo route, which borders the vast Boni forest, where Operation Amani Boni is ongoing.
The injured were taken to hospital.
The Boni forest operation was launched in 2015, with its initial name being Operation Linda Boni.
Its objective is to flush out the militants believed to be hiding inside the dense Boni Forest.
After the incident, the militants emerged from the forest and tried to attack the officers after the vehicle rolled. It was then that the KDF team arrived and was also ambushed.
There have been warnings that terrorists were planning more attacks in the area.
Last week, at least 15 security officers were killed in separate attacks in Lamu and Garissa counties.
Nine years ago, terrorists attacked Mpeketoni and surrounding areas, killing 90 people and displaced many.
Recently, Interior CS Kithure Kindiki visited Lamu for three days to assess the security situation in the region. He assured Lamu residents and Kenyans at large that their safety is guaranteed.
“We have set aside Sh20 billion to purchase advanced security equipment, including armored personnel carrier vehicles, drones and other gadgets so that our security agencies get proper safety as they effectively fight the terrorists," Kindiki said.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from militants who are at times aided by locals.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually stage attacks before escaping.
Al Shabaab terrorists have been attacking places in the region, especially Mandera and Garissa counties.
They have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies. They also target development projects like roads.