03 Aug 2017 | 12:37 PM UTC
Kenya: Al-Shabaab attack police station August 2
Al-Shabaab militants attack a police station in village of Lafey, near the Somalian border (northeast), August 2; one police officer killed
Event
Al-Shabaab militants attacked a police station in the village of Lafey (Mandera county), located near the border with Somalia, on Thursday, August 2. According to a local police source, the assailants fired rocket-propelled grenades before police were able to repulse the attack. One officer was killed and some casualties are believed to have occurred on the militant side.
Context
Al-Shabaab has stepped up its activity along the Kenyan-Somali border region in recent months, notably ahead of the Kenyan presidential elections scheduled to take place on August 8. On July 17, President Uhuru Kenyatta promised supporters at a rally that the government would increase efforts to eliminate Al-Shabaab militants.
Al-Shabaab regularly carries out attacks near the porous border with Somalia where the group is based, as well as in coastal areas popular with tourists and the capital Nairobi. The militant group has been effectively at war with the country since Kenyan forces engaged in the international fight against the terrorist group beginning in October 2011. Al-Shabaab, which seeks to topple Somalia's government and impose its own harsh interpretation of Sharia law, says it will continue to carry out attacks in Kenya until Nairobi withdraws its troops from the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
Advice
Individuals in Kenya are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities and to be particularly cautious when visiting sites deemed particularly likely to be targeted in an attack (government buildings, places of worship, tourist sites, etc.). Due to these and other security concerns, many Western governments advise against travel to a number of regions in the country, including areas bordering Somalia (parts of Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, and Lamu counties), Ethiopia, and South Sudan, as well as nonessential travel to the city of Mombasa. Several Nairobi neighborhoods, including Eastleigh and Pangani, are also best avoided.
