Bandits in regions declared as disturbed and dangerous in the Kenyan North are now employing guerilla tactics to counter military and police offensives in the region, it has been established.
The tactics have become a depressing pattern for both the police and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops, who are on assignment to crack down on and neutralise the bandits activities in the region.
The last week has seen the bandits stage retaliatory attacks in Turkana, Samburu, and Baringo counties, after reports from residents of the military bombing of their hideouts.
The joint military/police force is facing a nightmare in its effort to trace the criminals, who keep launching deadly attacks when least expected.
Guerrilla combat involves the use of military tactics such as surprise attacks and ambushes, raids, hit-and-run and sabotage of vulnerable targets, among others, to fight a larger military force.
In Baringo County, bandits carried out a daytime retaliatory attack in the volatile Seretion village in Mochongoi ward, Baringo South on Sunday, injuring a police reservist and making off with more than 200 head of livestock.
This was after the joint military-police teams deployed to carry out disarmament in the area bombed the Korkoron and Tandar Hills on Friday morning in a bid to smoke out the bandits. The hills are among the bandits’ hideouts in the region.
In Samburu’s Saturday twin attacks where four people, including two children, were killed, it has been established the attacks were launched simultaneously. Three bandits reportedly attacked Marti village killing two children before driving away livestock. At the same time, witnesses said, two bandits attacked Lolmolok area and killed two herders before driving away goats from the grazing field.
