North Eastern regional commissioner Mohamud Saleh. [Photo/Citizentv.co.ke]
North Eastern regional commissioner Mohamud Saleh has issued orders for the immediate arrest of the Kenyan Al-Shabaab operatives in Wajir and Mandera if they don’t surrender within the next few weeks.
Unveiling the names of four alleged operatives from Wajir East in Wajir town, Saleh ordered area deputy commissioner together with his security team to ensure the suspects are arrested forthwith if efforts to have them surrender does not bear fruit.
The four are Ali Mohamed Muhumed, Mohamed Muhumed Osman, Abdirashid Ibrahim and Yussuf Hassan Abdullahi all from the Degodia clan.
“These people must be captured or they must surrender. If it fails we shall carry out a controlled operation to smoke them out,” Saleh said.
When he met elders from Mandera county Saleh said the government has the list of names of 35 of youth that have been recruited by the Al-Shabaab from the Mandera and Wajir counties.
He added that their clans, parents, wives, and children among other details are also known to the state.
Saleh said the operatives are raising families within their communities by crossing into the country for days but they are not reported to authorities.
The regional commissioner said the operatives have been tasked with paralyzing transport within the main supply route of Wajir and Elwak in Mandera County, destroy communication facilities by targeting mobile phones masts.
“There target is communication installations. Trying to cut off transport on the main highway and trying to paralyze the economy. This is a very dangerous trend that we should not allow to happen,” he said.
He told the specialized fighting units posted to the region to be more proactive by going out and pursuing the enemy instead of remaining within their camps and defending them Saleh who was addressing sub-county security committee teams from Wajir County today said it was a shame for government officials in North Eastern to spend 95 percent of their working time in dealing with security matters.
“When the rest of Kenya is talking about development, use of county funds, CDF, equalization fund and other investments, in North Eastern we are busy talking about Al-Shabaab,” he said.