Lamu, KENYA: Four people,all men have butchered by suspected al shabaab militants in Silini-Mashambani and Bobo villages in Hindi division,Lamu west.
One man was killed at around 6.30pm on Tuesday when a group of over 30 heavily armed suspected militants descended upon Silini village and beheaded him as he cut timber in a forest just several meters away from the village.
The man’s companion who managed to flee from the militants informed other villagers who fled from their homes.
The other attack took place around 1.30am on Wednesday, when the same group of militants raided Bobo village which is just about 3 kilometres from Silini village.
Confirming the attack,Lamu county commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said the attackers who were armed with AK-47 riffles went from house to house calling out the victims by their names before forcing them out and killing them mercilessly.
He said the militants surrounded all the houses of the victims making it hard for them to escape from the attackers.
Kitiyo however said they were unsure whether the attacks were conducted by the Alshabaab or by a different set of individuals over some conflict for that matter.
“Four people have been butchered at Silini and Bobo. A group of heavily armed men both in military gear and plain cloth ambushed two people who were cutting timber at Silini at around 6.30pm Tuesday. One managed to escape while the other one was beheaded. The militants then invaded Bobo village at 1.30am today. They beheaded three men before fleeing into the forest. As we speak, police have already arrived at the scene and taken the bodies to Mpeketoni Sub-County hospital.We are yet to establish if its Alshabaab or something else.Its of concern that the attackers called their victims by names,”said Kitiyo.
The killings come barely two weeks after four people,all men,were beheaded by suspected Alshabaab militants at Maleli village in Witu on August 18.
Meanwhile, tension was high Hindi following the killings with hundreds of residents taking to the streets to protest the killings of the four and the ever declining state of security due to Alshabaab.
Most business premises in the town remained closed as people kept away for fear of being attacked.
The protestors carried branches,chanted and wailed urging the government to find a permanent solution to insecurity.
They also burnt tyres on the road paralyzing transport for over an hour before GSU officers were sent in to disperse the visibly agitated crowd.
The GSU officers shot in the air using live bullets while trying to disperse the protesters.
This is the second attack on Bobo village,in 2014,a total of 13 people were killed by suspected Alshabaab militants at Bobo and Roka-Kibiboni villages.
UPDATE: al shabaab through their twitter handle confirmed the attack and said that they had killed 5 people and not 4 as reported.