Arif Kassim was laid to rest on Friday in Mokowe.[Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
A student pilot who was killed during an operation to rescue Public Works Permanent Secretary Mariam el Maawy following an attack by suspected Al-Shabaab militia has been laid to rest.
The deceased, Arif Kassim, was given an emotional send off at Mokowe on Friday.Kassim, Mariam’s nephew, had been given a lift by the PS before they were abducted by suspected Al-Shabab Militia at Milihoi in Lamu on Thursday afternoon on their way to visit displaced families.Kassim passed on when the vehicle they were travelling in overturned and exploded following heavy exchange of fire between the militants and KDF officers.Rishad Amana, the victim’s uncle said they were able to identify the deceased despite the burns he had sustained. “We were able to identify him although he was badly burnt. He is my nephew and was still a student pilot at stage I,” said Amana, as quoted by the Standard. The attack comes barely two weeks after Coast regional coordinator Nelson Marwa called for the bombing of Boni Forest to flush out the suspected terrorists.Two security officers lost their lives following the attack as Kenya Defense Forces engaged the attackers in Boni Forest. The incessant attacks in the region have forced several families to flee from their homes. Institutions of learning have also been closed as students and teachers fear for their lives.