Tragedy struck at the Rakei area of Boni Forest as five police officers were killed and eight others injured in an ambush by suspected Al-Shabaab militants.
Lamu County Police Commissioner Wesley Koech confirmed the incident, stating that the officers—who were part of the Special Operations Group encountered the militants during a patrol. Preliminary intelligence suggests that over 70 Al-Shabaab fighters were attempting to cross from Bodhei in Garissa County into Lamu when they came into contact with the officers.
The clash occurred approximately three kilometres from Lamu town. The injured officers and the bodies of the deceased were airlifted to Nairobi for treatment and post-mortem procedures.
Commissioner Koech suspects the militants were attempting to infiltrate the area to carry out attacks and has urged residents to be vigilant.
He called on the public to promptly report any suspicious individuals or activities to authorities to help prevent further incidents.
This deadly ambush comes just days after a separate attack in which miners were killed by suspected Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera, raising fresh concerns over a possible resurgence of terrorism in the country.
