Friday March 15, 2019
ARMS: North Eastern regional commissioner Mohamed Birik in his office last month with rifles recovered from criminals in Dadaab subcounty in an ongoing operation.
Image by STEPHEN ASTARIKO
In Summary
•Four suspected arms traffickers arrested in Elwak, Mandera Thursday morning.
•They recovered three guns and 60 rounds of ammunition.
Community conflicts, banditry and al-Shabaab attacks have been fueled by arms traders
Police in Elwak, Mandera county Thursday morning arrested four people suspected to be arms traffickers from neighbouring Somalia.
They recovered three guns and 60 rounds of ammunition from the suspects.
The guns were two AK-47 rifles and a self-loading rifle. The bullets were loaded in three magazines.
North Eastern regional commissioner Mohamed Birik said the four were seized outside Elwak town.
Birik said police acting on a tip-off from the public ambushed them at their hideout. The suspects started shooting on seeing the police.
“The police returned fire and overpowered the suspects. One of them was slightly injured and is admitted with gun wounds at Elwak subcounty hospital under guard,” he said.
He said the police are investigating illicit gun trade.
“We want to establish their contacts in Kenya. We also want to know if they have links with al-Shabaab terror group,” he added.
The police boss said community conflicts, banditry and al-Shabaab attacks have been fueled by gun-running.
Police and other security agencies have intensified operations along the porous border with Somalia to ward off al-Shabaab militants.