Sign in to follow this  
Daqane

Families flee Garissa ahead of crackdown on terrorists

Recommended Posts

Daqane   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zjkmkrWHtPw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>

 

Fear has gripped residents of Garissa Town ahead of a police operation targeting sympathisers of Somalia’s al-Shabaab militants, who have been blamed for the recent spate of killings in the town.

 

On Monday, some residents started fleeing areas where deadly attacks occurred recently to settlements on the outskirts of the town in fear of the impending operation.

 

Hundreds of policemen from the General Service Unit and the Rapid Deployment Unit, Administration and regular police have arrived in the town in readiness for the operation.

 

More police and administration officers have also been interdicted for allegedly helping al-Shabaab sympathisers to carry out atrocities in the country.

 

On Sunday, the head of Criminal Investigations Department in Garissa was sent home together with nine other government officials after being linked to al-Shabaab activities.

 

More officers, including police and customs officials who work at entry points on the vast Kenya-Somalia border, were also interdicted to pave the way for investigations.

 

Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo said several letters directing the officers to stay out of office had been written and would be delivered to them with the authority of the National Police Service Commission.

 

Volatile region

 

“Whoever is involved will go home irrespective of the rank. Investigations are going on to establish the officers who were compromised,” he said.

 

Internal Security permanent secretary Mutea Iringo revealed new measures aimed at improving security in the volatile region.

 

In a statement, the PS announced a reward of up to Sh100,000 for any person who gives information leading to the arrest of suspects.

 

On Sunday night, a contingent of regular and Administration police carried out a swoop that resulted in the arrest of 80 people.

 

Most of those arrested did not have national identity cards or any other valid identification or travel documents.

 

The suspects were later taken to the Garissa Law Courts and charged with being in the country illegally.

 

A curfew has also been imposed in the town with boda boda operators and taxi-drivers allowed to operate between 6am and 6pm.

 

Garissa county commissioner Mohamed Maalim said the Kenya Defence Forces had closed the Kenya-Somalia border to prevent criminal elements from fleeing to Somalia ahead of the crackdown.

 

“Every effort is being done to crackdown on them,” Mr Maalim said.

 

He further called on the residents to co-operate with security forces.

 

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Residents-flee-ahead-of-swoop/-/1056/1755738/-/8vj774/-/index.html

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Daqane   

Major police operation underway in Garissa

Standard

 

A major police operation is underway in Garissa Town in a bid to boost security and arrest men behind serial killings that have left dozens of people dead in the town in the recent past.

 

Police say they also want to get illegal immigrants who are in the town for conviction and repatriation on suspicion they could be behind the attacks.Officials say security agents involved in the operation have so far detained more than 20 people. The operation began at 5am and it is ongoing.

More General Service Unit and Administration Police’s Rapid Deployment Unit were deployed to Garissa Sunday night and are involved in the operation. Witnesses say the town is virtually in a standstill.

 

“We can see hundreds of police officers on the streets and they have been moving from house to house looking for suspected terrorists. I can see many people escaping this town,” said a caller.

 

Another witness said the local bus stop was full of passengers who want to leave the town to Nairobi and other counties in North Eastern.

 

Police involved in the operation have mounted roadblocks on major roads and are checking on all occupants of various vehicles on the move. Others are visiting hotels and residential houses looking for suspects and aliens.

 

The operation came a day after the local CID boss and nine others officers and chiefs were interdicted for being involved in illegal activities in the area that are behind the killings.

 

The government also pledged to offer a reward of between Sh50,000 and Sh100,000 to anyone who may provide information that will lead to arrest of criminals behind the killings.

 

Internal security permanent secretary Mutea Iringo said similar interdiction action has been taken against customs officials involved in the illegal activities.

 

The PS said the government will streamline and closely monitor operations of taxi and boda boda operators including limiting the latter’s working hours to between 6 am and 6 pm.

 

Security agents will also closely monitor visitors booked in hotels and those renting residential houses, arrest all aliens for repatriation after conviction in courts and enhance patrols and mount roadblocks.

 

The latest killings happened on Thursday in which ten people were killed in a hotel by gunmen who escaped.

 

Garissa and other local towns have been the target of terrorists who kill innocent citizens, as well as security officers and other government officials, using either gunfire or grenades.

 

Police officers, military personnel and Kenya Revenue Authority officials have in the past been killed in targeted attacks in Garissa.

 

Ten people were killed during the latest attack targeted at patrons at Kwa Chege Hotel on Thursday night.

 

The incidents started in October 2011 when Kenya Defence Forces entered Somalia to fight the terrorist group Al Shabaab.

 

Officials point at a possibility that other interests were orchestrating the attacks under the guise of Al Shabaab, which usually claim responsibility for such attacks.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Sign in to follow this