Four police officers and a civilian died after an armoured police vehicle they were travelling in ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) in Lamu.
The IED is suspected to have been planted by Al-Shabaab militants between Milimani and Baure military camp in Basuba, Lamu East early Wednesday morning.
Two police officers from the Rapid Border Patrol Unit (RBPU) who were in the vehicle are missing, according to officer on the ground who requested not to be named since he is not authorised to speak to the press.
The officers from Mangai RBPU camp were heading to Mokowe for refuelling when the incident happened.
ATTACKED
Police sources on the ground said military officers from Baure camp responded immediately but they were also attacked on the way to the scene by the militants.
The KDF officers however managed to reach the scene of the incident.
The entire Basuba ward and Lamu East is under tight security after the national government launched a multi-agency security operation dabbed ‘Linda Boni’ in September 2015. The operation targets to flush out Al-Shabaab militants believed to be hiding in the expansive Boni forest.
Efforts to reach the Lamu County Commissioner Joseph Kanyiri and the Linda Boni Operation Director James Ole Seriani for comments were futile since their phones went unanswered.
