Five elite officers killed, five injured in Al-Shabaab ambush in Lamu’s Boni Forest

At least five elite officers from the Special Operations Group (SOG) were killed on Tuesday evening in a clash with suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists within Lamu's Boni Forest.

Five others were injured in the same clash in the ambush that occurred as they pursued the insurgents.

The team was trailing the militia for a while, following intelligence reports that they were planning an attack.

The injured officers were later flown to Nairobi for specialised treatment.

Lamu has been on the spot in recent months over suspected Al-Shabaab activities, including March's raid of Mangai village by the militia, who lectured locals before distributing dates and leaving with a warning not to report the incident to security agencies.

A report released this week on violent extremism incidents that occurred in the country last year revealed that security officials continue to be primary targets of these militias, who set up explosives along key routes in a bid to disrupt their counter terrorism operations.

It further noted that in Lamu, non-locals are often targeted at their places of work, reflecting a disturbing trend in victim selection.

Last year, Lamu saw a record 20 deaths resulting from eight terror-related attacks.

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