Two Al-Shabaab terrorists were Tuesday shot dead moments after they had tried to raid a police station near Dadaab, Garissa County.
Security personnel including special forces said they recovered two AK47 rifles and two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from the slain men.
Area Deputy Commissioner Kibet Bowen said four locals who included a teacher were killed in an exchange of fire.
The other victims included children. They were in their house when stray bullets fired in a shootout hit them.
Other officials indicated all the victims were pupils from a local school.
Witnesses said the 1 am incident happened near Saretho Police Patrol base which is 25 kilometers from Dadaab refugee camp.
“We believe they had bad intentions of killing many. But they have been repulsed and two of them killed,” said Bowen.
The victims’ house is near the police station, witnesses said.
And as the other gang escaped, they attacked a nearby communication mast. According to the police, this was meant to stop the security agents from pursuing the attackers.
“When you attack and destroy a communication mast you affect many issues including operations.”
A major operation was launched in the area to get the other attackers. Police said they were about 12 at that moment.
Bowen said the militants were targeting the officers manning a police barrier at Saretho.
This is the latest incident in the area targeting security agencies. Officials believe contraband goods are behind some of the attacks in the area.
Smugglers use militias to fight police in efforts to allow passage of their goods which include rice, cooking oil, sugar and milk.
Last year alone, more than 50 security agents were killed in separate attacks staged by the terrorists in the area. Most of them were hit by IEDs set on the roads. A major operation is ongoing in the area even as there is a fresh push for the reopening of the more than 20 gazetted border points to allow taxation and other checks on goods getting into Kenya through the porous border.
Officials say this will raise more money for the country.
Terror activities have been on the rise in the past two months prompting major operations in urban areas. More special forces have been deployed to various places as part of the operations.
On Sunday, Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a joint US-Kenya military base in Lamu and killed three Americans. They also torched six aircrafts and an unknown number of vehicles. Five of the terrorists were killed in an operation and several weapons recovered from them.
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