Kenyan security agencies ramped up their war against al Shabaab militants operating near the main border on Wednesday and killed one militant in Lamu’s Sirari area.
In a separate incident, the militants ambushed and injured at least eight members of the Special Operations Group in Mandera County, officials said.
The officers were pursuing the gang when they were attacked with a Rocket Propelled Grenade.
The elite team had been tipped off that the terrorists were spotted in Ogor-Weyn area in Mandera North prompting their moves when they were attacked.
The attackers escaped in the Wednesday evening incident as the police officers were rescued to a local hospital ahead of planned evacuation to Nairobi, police aware of the incident said.
Earlier on, troops at a camp in Sirari killed one suspected suicide bomber who had attempted to stage an attack on the facility.
The suspect was found ringed with a suicide vest after he had been killed, police said.
The security team had earlier on brought down a drone belonging to the terrorist group, which was on a surveillance mission at the camp.
Minutes later, the team detected a stranger trying to access the camp and confronted him with gunfire.
Officials said they are analyzing the materials recovered from the drone and suspect to gather more.
This came as Kenyan security ramped up operations against the terror group around the border to push out suspects operating there.
The recent attacks have forced the government to suspend plans to reopen the Kenya-Somalia border.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said this follows an increase in terror-related attacks along the Kenya-Somalia border in the past month that have claimed more than 30 lives most of them being security officers.
“The Government will delay the planned reopening of Kenya-Somalia border points until we conclusively deal with the recent spate of terror attacks and cross-border crime.”
“We have postponed the plans to reopen the main borders in Mandera, Wajir, here Liboi and Kiunga due to the increased attacks by the terrorists in the past months. We will deal with them first then continue with the plans,” he said.
He made the remarks in Dadaab refugee camp Wednesday while on the ongoing tour of the northern region to address terror-related attacks.
The border points were closed in 2011 at the height of the al Shabaab attacks. Kindiki had in May this year announced Kenya and Somalia had resolved to open the border in phases, within the next 90 days.
His counterpart from Somalia, Mohamed Ahmed Sheikh Ali said the Federal Government is committed to promoting and strengthening corporation with its neighbors to improve security.
The two also resolved to strengthen cross-border communication and information-sharing exchange between the two countries.
Kindiki said the operation is also aimed at providing round-the-clock security to contractors and engineers working on key infrastructure projects in North Eastern Kenya and insulate them from criminal elements and extremists keen on sabotaging their operations.
“Construction of key roads such as Garissa-Wajir-Mandera and Lamu-Mandera roads will open up the North Eastern Region for development and economic growth. The government has upscaled partnerships with the local communities to flush out criminal elements and violent extremists,” he said.
To ensure the safety of security officers, he added, plans are at an advanced stage to procure modern equipment, including choppers, drones, MRAPs, and armored personnel carriers.
He added the government will invest more than Sh20 billion in modernisation of security equipment and address the welfare of security officers.
And with the ongoing operation in parts of Somalia against the al Shabaab, Kenya expects the attacks in the border region will continue. This is after most of the terrorists ran away to find refugee along the border where they cross for attack.
The terrorists have been attacking places near the Kenyan border by using guns and explosives leaving dozens dead and many injured.
The gang behind the attacks cross from Somalia and launch them amid a campaign to address the issue.