Tuesday, October 19, 2010
About 40 fighters from the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) laid siege to the village of Sololo Makutano in the early hours of Tuesday, exchanging fire with security forces, before abducting the trio and crossing back over the porous border into Ethiopia.
Villagers said the fighters first targetted a dwelling belonging to the local chief before seizing two other men they accused of spying for the Ethiopian government.
"The raiders surrounded our village around midnight. They fired gunshots for over half an hour. The police attempted to scare them away but they were too confident," said local resident Wario Boru.
Police reservists gave chase to the militia fighters who escaped across the Ethiopian frontier 10 km from the village.
OLF rebels have made repeated raids inside Kenyan territory to attack individuals they accuse of being opposed the Oromo's quest for secession. Kenya has conducted several operations to flush out the rebels who also often use Kenya as a hideout.
Police said they were investigating the incursion.
Kenyans living in remote, arid northern Kenya have previously warned that al Qaeda-linked Somali rebels are also increasingly launching cross-border attacks despite a heightened state of alert.
Source: Reuters