Navy men missing after bandit attack on Frenchwoman

Two Kenya Navy officers involved in the abortive weekend rescue bid for a Frenchwoman abducted in Lamu by Somali bandits are missing.

Military sources on Sunday said the missing officers were part of a group that engaged the bandits in a gunfight before their small boat capsized.

“Eight officers were rescued, but the two are still missing and there are no hopes of getting them alive,” our source said.

Lamu West district commissioner Stephen Ikua termed the incident an accident. (READ: Kenya bungles rescue mission for kidnapped French woman)

“There was a mishap during the operation and we are told some of our officers in an ordinary fishing boat (not navy gunboat) had to be rescued after capsizing.

“I am on my way to Kiunga to confirm the situation and that is when I will be able to tell you their exact situation,” he said.

Military spokesman John Mwandikwa would not answer our calls.

Ms Marie Dedieu was abducted from her cottage on Manda Island opposite the upmarket town of Shella in the Lamu archipelago.

The disabled 66-year-old woman is believed to have been taken to war-torn Somalia. (READ: Kidnappers bring disabled Frenchwoman to Somalia)

“She’s already in Somalia. I can confirm that,” Mr Ikua said. “It must have been the al Shabaab.”

Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang’ula said the government will pursue the militants and use all means to secure its territory from foreign aggression.

“We are going to pursue these gangsters beyond our borders,” he said in Webuye before flying to Mombasa for a security meeting.

This was the second abduction in less than a month. Last month, a suspected al Shabaab militia group attacked a British couple on holiday in Kiwayu, a few kilometres north of Lamu. (READ: British detectives to help in probe of tourist killing)

They killed writer David Tebbutt and captured his wife, Judith. She is presumed to be in the hands of the militants in Somalia.

There were also unconfirmed reports that Navy officers killed three of the gunmen who snatched Ms Dedieu.

“Two escaped with serious wounds, but we are sure of the three deaths only we did not manage to collect their bodies from the sea,” an officer involved in the operation said.

However, the kidnappers sailed into Somalia with the woman. Coast Provincial Police Officer Aggrey Adoli said Kenyan soldiers and policemen could not cross into Somali waters.

“We have deployed enough security on the border with additional Kenya police marine officers in the sea. We have no jurisdiction over international waters, but we shall deal with issues within our waters,” he said.