Four al Shabaab in teacher’s kidnap identified, search on – Saleh

The police have identified four al Shabaab terrorists who escaped during an operation to rescue a kidnapped teacher, and are searching for them.

Northeastern regional coordinator Mohamud Saleh did not reveal the names of the militants but said authorities will not relent in the search.

“We will not rest until they are captured or killed. We are working closely with the Doble administration, that we have had a very good relationship with,” he said.

“We want to send a clear message to al Shabaab that they will not intimidate or harass citizens of this country. Kenyan security forces are alert.”

Saleh said the body of a militant killed during the KDF rescue mission last Friday was taken to Garissa Referral Hospital mortuary for a forensic exam by CID and police experts.

The authorities are seeking to establish whether the slain attacker was involved in previous terror attacks, he told the press at this office on Tuesday.

He displayed an AK 47 rifle, three magazines with 21 bullets, two mobile phones and a sim card recovered from the killed militants.

Saleh said the mission to rescue teacher Judy Mutua, who was abducted from Hagadera refugee camp in Dadaab last Monday, was the first successful one.

KDF’s Rapid Deployment Unit and Somalia National Army troops rescued Mutua, who worked with NGO Windie Trust International, at Shaba-Difu, 15km into Somalia.

“This mission took us across the border. When it comes to hot pursuit, we have no boundaries; we shall pursue al Shabaab wherever they are,” he said.

Noting the rescue was “elaborately-planned” with the public’s help, he said he instructed Liboi subcounty security to protect a herdsboy who spotted the militants and notified officers at Kulan police post.

“I commend the herdsboy for his courage and assure his family that we will keep him safe and provide any other assistance,” he said, noting the boy disregarded the militants’ threats.

The teacher was flown to Nairobi in a military helicopter and reunited with her family in Machakos county.

Regarding concerns that al Shabaab and their agents hide in refugee camps, Saleh said he met leaders of the locations, and that the matter will be discussed with officials at UNHCR’s Geneva headquarters.

“The camps have become breeding grounds for terrorism, money laundering, and human, arms and drugs trafficking,” he said.

“We believe all major attacks, including Garissa University College and Westgate Mall attacks were all planned at the refugee camps,” he added, but noted not all refugees are to blame.

A majority of Somali refugees (420,000) are living in Kenya, mostly in the five refugee camps in Dadaab in the north-east.

Nearly 250,000 are in Ethiopia and an estimated 200,000 in Yemen.

Thestar.co.ke