Residents from volatile border counties now have a reason to smile after the Kenya Defence Forces assured them of their security, saying they will never retaliate on locals over attacks meted on KDF soldiers.
Delivering the assurance on Saturday, KDF Brigadier DK Ruto who now heads entire Northeastern region said no locals will be victimized over attacks by from Al Shabaab militants.
“I want to give an assurance that we have now opened a new chapter on security matters. You will never hear of any operations again by my officers on locals and civilians. If any, then we shall have to first consult with the local village elders before conducting one,” Brigadier Ruto said.
The KDF brigadier also called on both civilians and all security agencies operating in the region to be vigilant to avoid falling victims to traps by Al-Shabaab militants.
“Al-Shabaab militants are very smart. They plant IEDs on our roads near residential areas while targeting security vehicles knowing well that the security officers involved in the operation will descend on the neighboring villages. They want to create mistrust between security officers and civilians,' Ruto added.
The KDF brigadier was speaking during the official closing of a two-day conference on de-radicalisation and counter violent extremism.