Gunmen suspected to be members of Al-Shabaab burnt down dozens of houses in an attack on the night of Wednesday, February 12, 2020.The attack happened in Garissa County, as informed by Garissa communications director Mohamed Ibrahim who spoke to Kenyans.co.ke. Ijara Town Member of Parliament Sophia Abdi Noor also confirmed the incident.
Al-Shabaab burnt down several houses and shops in Gedilun, located within Sangailu in Garissa County. Initially, two men- a father and a son- were abducted and used to navigate to police reservists' residences. The father was later released but his son is still missing.
North Eastern Regional Co-ordinator Nicodemus Ndalana told Nation that though security personnel was dispatched, the locals were unwilling to help identify the route the attackers used to access the town, a challenge that was also noted by area MP Sofia Abdi Noor.
“They were blaming us, saying we allowed our sons to join the KDF army,” the legislator lamented.
“The father is still in shock, he cannot even utter a word from his mouth. He was beaten before being released,” she added.
The local leaders resolved to educated the residents on the importance of cooperating with security agencies to flush out Al-Shabaab elements and sympathisers.