al-Shabaab suspect who used his 2 children as human shield killed in dawn attack

Police officers killed a suspected al-Shabaab millitant early Saturday morning at his house in Diani, reports say.

The suspect’s two children that he was using as human shield were also killed.

According to a police report, the suspect refused to surrender and instead, tossed a grenade at the officers injuring one of them.

It was then that the officers opened fire,  killing the suspect and two of his children.

His wife and three other kids are currently receiving medical attention having sustained injuries from the raid.

An al-Shabaab suspect Saidi Chitswa alias Ninja who is in police custody is said to have led officers to the suspect’s house after reports that there was a plan to attack an unnamed police station.

During the raid, officers recovered several jungle uniforms and a grenade.

This comes barely two weeks after five al-Shabaab militants were killed after the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers foiled an attack on Somali Security Forces (SSF) stationed in Bilis Qooqani.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, close to 20 Al-Shabaab militants had attacked the SSF station from three different directions at around 12:30am.

A KDF unit operating under AMISOM and stationed in the area however dispatched a special platoon of soldiers to assist their Somali counterparts.

“After the gunfight, KDF troops had killed 5 al Shabaab terrorists, they also recovered 5 AK47 rifles and several rounds of ammunition,” read the statement.

“KDF will continue to work closely with SSF in support of operations to restore peace and reduce the threat posed by Al-Shabaab. Additionally, KDF will continue to build capacity of SSF as well as assist them in stabilization, reconciliation and peace building in Somalia.”