Alarm after Shabaab militants raid village, donate dates and give jihadist lessons

 Armed al-Shabab fighters ride on pickup trucks as they prepare to travel into the city, just outside the capital Mogadishu, in Somalia on Dec. 8, 2008. [AP Photo]

Security officials have launched a manhunt for about 150 Al Shabaab operatives who raided Mangai, Lamu East Sub-County, catching security agencies by surprise.

The terrorists, dressed in military combat gear and armed with AK-47 rifles, commandeered the whole village to listen to jihadist lectures.

Multiple interviews indicate that three militants arrived in the sleepy village two days earlier pretending to be philanthropists donating dates to Muslims during this period of Ramadhan.