The Tuesday attack that left several security officers nursing serious injuries has raised an alarm on the rising use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by al-Shabaab along the Kenya-Somalia border.
Dadaab Deputy County Commissioner Kipkirui Siele said the Border Patrol Unit (BPU) officers from Abdi Suku camp were travelling to Garissa when the vehicle they were in ran over an IED along the Dadaab – Garissa Road.
Mr Simwelo and two other of his colleagues died following an attack suspected to be orchestrated by the al-Shabaab militia group involving a roadside explosive, the vehicle they were in hit an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on the Lapsset road in Bura East, Tana River County.
The IED menace in Garissa County and its surroundings in the last five years has left hundreds of civilians and security officers dead as others left with painful memories.
Investigations by Nation show that about 38 IED incidents between 2011 to 2015 killed 339 civilians and 89 security officers.
Between 2017-2021, more than 40 fatalities both civilians and security officers, have been recorded.
Four pupils dead
In 2020, for instance, a suspected al-Shabaab militia group targeted a communication mast using an IED. The attack left four pupils at Seretho Primary School dead.
The same year, two security officers from Alinjugur police station died after a vehicle they were in ran over an IED while on patrol.
And in 2021, between Kulan and Liboi, eight police officers sustained critical injuries after their vehicle ran over an IED.
But just what is an IED? Where does the militia group get these deadly weapons and to what extent is their damage?
According to Kenya Peace and Security Support Initiative (KEPSSI) Secretary General, Mr Jacob Elkana, the devices are easily locally assembled.
“If you can recall in 2014 detectives impounded a Toyota Hilux car with registration number KAN 410E, the car was full of IED explosives and it was to explode with a phone call that was to be made on a Nokia phone that was attached to those IEDs,” said Mr Elkana.
Mr Elkana who also doubles up as a security expert notes the attackers usually consider a lot of things among them, geolocations of deployed IEDs.
“Most of the IED attacks are carried out by Al Shabaab in revenge for Operation Linda Nchi operation launched when our Kenya Defence Forces soldiers entered into war zones in Southern Somalia in October 2011,” he says.
The attacks mainly target security forces, national infrastructure and civilians.
“IEDs usually inflict grievous physical injuries, cause terrible psychological harm. They also spread extreme fear, and disrupt communal economic activities, like on our roads,” Mr Elkana adds.
Areas that have been hit recently include Kora kora, Kulan and Liboi, Liboi- Abdisugow where eleven (11) officers were fatally injured.
A global problem
The use of IEDs is a global problem and is rampant in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Syria.
The Northern part of Africa including Libya, Tunisia and Egypt has also witnessed such attacks staged by Al Qaeda and ISIS terrorist groups.
“Since the decline in the supply of drugs such as cocaine and heroin among other hard stuff and smuggling of illegal goods, the attacks have reduced. Our security organs have sealed loopholes in several places such as the porous Lunga-Lunga border in the Northern part of Kenya and other areas,” says Mr Elkana.
Locals have now urged security agencies to find a way to deal with the counter-security challenges posed by IEDs terming it as a real security issue.
“The attacks have scared away investors. Sadly, non-local doctors and teachers went away fearing for their lives. Those who used to have homes in the interior areas of Garissa County have shifted too,” said Haretha Dubow, an area resident.
Community-Based Organisations also closed their branches in the IED-prone areas with locals missing essential services.
