Police recover bag packed with hand grenades

By Adow Jubat

Mandera,Kenya; Police in Mandera have recovered two hand grenades abandoned by suspected Somali militia believed to have crossed from the border town of Bulla-Xawa.

The Somali border town was on the weekend invaded and briefly taken over by members of the insurgent Somali Islamist group, Al Shabaab after dislodging the TFG soldiers.

They, however, lost control when regrouped TFG forces confronted them. The three assailants who intelligence believes were planning to carry out an attack on unknown facilities escaped when members of the public confronted them.

Confirming the incident, the Mandera County Commissioner Michael ole Tialal said the assailant narrowly escaped the wrath of the public after dropping a huge luggage.

He said, “Wananchi who have been suspicious about the characters, decided to confront them to establish their motive in the town. But the assailants shot in the air to scare away the surging public and escaped.”

Mr Tialal said the public then sent word to the police over the suspicious luggage dropped by the escaping armed men as some kept vigil around the abandoned bag.

Black bag

“Officers found a huge black bag stashed with two hand grenades,” he said.

Aliow Mohamed, who was among those who confronted the three men, said the suspects kept moving around the town asking for directions of government security facilities.

The County Commissioner said the explosives were collected by the local Army officers who detonated them. A manhunt to apprehend the suspects has been launched.

He said the security along the porous Kenya/Somali border has been beefed up with deployment of extra security personnel including Anti-terrorist officers specifically to nab the three assailants before they crossed the border into neigbouring Bulla-Xawa in Somalia.

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