[Alishabab militants in training. The militia group is said to be behind the killing of Omar chief Dekow Sirat, who was shot three times; [Photo/star.co.ke]
Chief Dekow Sirat of Omar Jillow in Mandera was shot three times and killed by masked assailants who fled on foot towards the Somali border suspected to be alshabab militants.
Sirat was attacked at around 10pm while at his house in Arabiya and shot three times, coming during the dusk-to-dawn curfew.
According to witnesses, the gunmen knew him well and he was their only target as they went straight to him and shot him to his death before fleeing.
“They were about eight in number. But only one pulled the trigger. They said in local dialect that they have been looking for the chief for a long time and that his day had finally come,” said a witness who was with the chief that night.
The military, police and intelligence officers are investigating the case looking at several leads to ascertain the motive of the murder.
The military are specifically combing the area in pursuit of the gunmen who are believed to have crossed back to Somali.
“As of now we cannot tell who the killers are. We are giving the investigators time to piece together information. We don’t want to jump the gun at the moment,” said Northeastern regional coordinator Mohamud Saleh.