Operation Linda Boni Intensifies Hunt For Al Shabaab Spies Posing As Returnees

A manhunt has begun in Lamu for al Shabaab returnees who sneaked back into the country but refuse to surrender to the police.

The operation will involve identifying communities that shield the returnees instead of handing them over for amnesty and rehabilitation.

Speaking in Lamu on Friday, Operation Linda Boni director Joseph Kanyiri said many of returnees are spies for the militia in Garissa, Lamu and Tana River.

He said communities in Witu, Kiunga, Kotile, Korissa, and Masalani are notorious for hiding returnees. They even help them to prepare and carry out attacks.

He said the spies are responsible for spreading propaganda leaflets, especially in Kotile, Korissa, and Msalani. “In the leaflets, the militants claim they have no issues with Muslims and that their only target is Christians and [outsiders].”