Huge cache of weapons seized in Wajir

Security personnel on Tuesday siezed a cache of weapons at a commercial house in Wajir Town that is suspected to have been hidden to be used in a terror attack sometime in the future.

The weapons that included two AK-47 rifles, two American Colt pistols, two live grenades, two detonators, 137 rounds of assorted ammunitions and three pistol magazines were displayed in the office of the North Eastern Regional Coordinator Amb Mohamud Saleh.

Speaking to the press, Mr Saleh said the weapons are believed to have been used in past attacks targeting businesses, non-locals and in other armed robberies in the area.

The cache is suspected to belong to Mohammed Kuno Yussuf, the militant commander who has a Sh2 million bounty on his head. Kuno originally hails from Wajir and is said to be a close ally of Mustafah Hato and Mohamed Kuno Gamadere, senior Al-Shabaab commanders who are believed to have planned the Garissa University attack that claimed 148 lives in April last year.

They are based in Jilib inside Somalia from where they coordinate and plan their attacks.

Administration Police Commandant Omar Shurie, who is currently in charge of operations in the region, addressed the press saying there is no time for compliancy and adding that individuals must be alert at all times.

“The government is more than willing to defend its people and territory,” he said.

Shurie further opined that the seizing of the cache would degrade the capacity of the militant group in carrying out attacks in the country.

“We remember our soldiers who were involved in the attack over the weekend. We want to assure Kenyans that the incident will not dampen our spirits in the fight against the Al-Shabaab,” he said.

Saleh added that this year’s agenda is to continue with security reinforcements, to secure the borders and bring back youths who have joined the terror group.

The regional coordinator noted that all Al-Shaabab militants who voluntarily surrender would be pardoned and rehabilitated.

This is the fourth largest cache of weapons to be recovered in the past eight months since Saleh took over in May last year in Garissa Town and Dadaab Refugee Camps.

The recovery comes four days after Al-Shabaab militants killed an undisclosed number of Kenyan soldiers serving as part of the African Union forces in Somalia.