Raids heighten fear of terrorist activities in northern

For the fourth time in the recent past, armed Somali militiamen have crossed into the country, raided police stations and escaped with Kenyan Government weapons and vehicles.

In the last incident, just a week ago, they abducted two nuns who have since not been released.

Intelligence sources suspect that insurgents from the al Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab militia, who are fighting the Ethiopian-backed Somalia Transitional Federal Government and have taken over large parts of the war-torn country, are infiltrating Kenya.

The insurgents are suspected to be involved in the inter-clan fighting that has rocked North Eastern province in recent months.

It is for this reason that the military was deployed there to embark on a major weapons mop-up operation.

In July last year, armed Somali militiamen crossed into Kenya from a remote Mandera outpost, ambushed and abducted two police officers. The Kenyan Government grew weary of efforts to use elders to negotiate for the release of the two officers.

Two days later, the officers’ mutilated bodies were found hanging from trees in a hilly area on the Somalia side of the border.

Then the Kenyan security agents ranted and threatened to cross into Somalia to avenge the officers’ killing, but it remained just that -- a threat.

In another attack later, Somalia militia in three vehicles raided Dedajabulla administration police camp about 20 km from the Kenya-Somalia border and rescued two terror suspects who had been arrested by police.

Satellite phones

The militiamen injured a police officer, stole a police vehicle and three guns after overpowering the security men.

The suspected terrorists had been arrested in a Nairobi-bound bus posing as women. They were carrying satellite phones.

The daring militiamen rescued their accomplices and drove back to Somalia. The Kenyan authorities began negotiations through elders to get back the vehicles. This was despite the fact that the military and both regular and administration police had been sent to Mandera to act on the aggression.

The militiamen then were suspected to be members of the al Qaeda linked Al -Shabaab group that has taken over control of large areas of Somalia including Gedi region that straddles the Kenya-Somalia border.

On September 7, 2008 the militiamen again raided Alungu administration police camp, killed two police officers and three civilians and stole four G3 rifles and over 200 rounds of ammunition.