Why Al Shabaab insurgents are gaining ground in Lamu

Aerial picture showing smoke billowing from Pandaguo police post after being attacked by Al-Shabaab militants

In late 2015, a UN task force report warned that Jaysh Ayman militia, which includes several Western foreign fighters and hundreds of Kenyan militants, is now able to hold territory in areas north of Lamu County.

Reports indicate Jaysh Ayman militants (allied to Al Shabaab), acting from around Baure where militants killed three soldiers at a Kenya Defence Forces camp in Lamuon June 15, 2015, were behind increased attacks and killings of security officers.