War on terrorism gets boost as UK donates equipment

By CYRUS OMBATI

The war on terrorism received a boost Monday when the British government donated four lorries, 37 radios and search equipment to be used by the Administration Police (AP).

The lorries will be used to carry police on patrol at the borders.

This is part of the British government’s initiative to support Kenya’s law enforcement agencies to tackle terrorism.

British High Commissioner to Kenya Peter Tibber said the threat of terrorism is real and urged communities to support the fight.

“The UK government has a strong commitment to counter terrorism. As we have, unfortunately, witnessed from attacks in North Eastern Province, Mombasa and Nairobi, the threat of terrorism is real,” said Dr Tibber.

He said the radios will enable police share information securely and easily and the search equipment will assist to patrol and monitor Kenya’s borders against Al-Shabaab and international terrorists.

Porous borders

Tibber spoke at the Security of Government Buildings (SGB) offices in Nairobi when he donated the equipment.

Present were Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, Permanent Secretary Mutea Iringo and AP boss Kinuthia Mbugua.

Tibber said his government is also assisting the Anti Terrorism Police Unit and CID to prevent and investigate crime.

Mr Mbugua said Britain has also trained the AP personnel in handling the equipment, established a school of signals, constructed a communication and operations centre at the Administration Police Training College in Garissa and Mombasa and established a border patrol-training wing in Kitui.

APs are involved in patrolling Kenya’s porous borders, which have been blamed for the infiltration of terrorists and illegal weapons.

The donation also marked the International Terrorism Day.

Elsewhere, four military personnel were injured when a tanker they were travelling in was blown up in an explosion in Mandera town.

Police said the four sustained slight injuries when the tanker stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that had been placed by the roadside.

Explosion

The tanker was part of a military convoy that was moving through the town at about 9am.

Police suspect those behind the latest attack are remnants of the Al-Shabaab militant group operating inside Somalia.

Last week, an AP officer was killed and three others injured in a similar roadside explosion in Dadaab refugee camp as they escorted aid workers.

On Saturday night, two refugees were shot dead in an attack in the camp and two grenades hurled at police officers.

The incident occurred at around 9pm and three hours later, two grenades were thrown at the Ifo police station.

Anxiety

Though security had been tightened at Ifo and Dadaab camps and in Dadaab town, anxiety is high as the guns used shoot the refugees have not been traced.

Residents in Garissa said a few hours before the incident, worshippers coming from a mosque in Ifo were attacked by armed men.

A woman was shot in the neck and died. The attackers are believed to be Al-Shabaab.

Kenya’s security chiefs are pondering on how to tame spontaneous grenade attacks that have become rampant in the country and which have been attributed to Al-Shabaab since the country sent troops to Somalia.

More police officers were moved to Coast Province in the past weeks to stem fears of more attacks.