A chief and a school teacher were shot dead after unknown number of suspected Al Shabaab militants ambushed villagers at the Kenya-Somalia border town of Hulugho.
Hulugho Chief Abdifatah Gandhi was killed on the spot when the heavily armed militants broke into his house and sprayed him with bullets moments after killing the teacher next door.
The militiamen, who appeared to have been targeting the chief, also set his parked Probox vehicle on fire before leaving his shattered premises in ruins, even as local security agencies promptly responded to distress calls and engaged the bandits in a shootout.
Preliminary reports into the incident indicated that the gunmen believed to have crossed from Somalia in the wee hours of the night had initially held a local woman at gun point to reveal residence of the local chief.
The militiamen later frog marched the terrified lady to the chiefs compound, where they opened fire on the teacher, who was asleep at the time before turning their guns at a room, where the administrator had locked himself up on learning of the impending attack.
Hulugho sub county Deputy County Commissioner, Elijah Mutemi, said the militiamen believed to have been fleeing the ongoing war with the Juba Land Special forces crossed into the country on sensing defeat before staging the attack.
He said security teams including troops from the Kenya Defence Forces engaged the militants in a fierce gun battle before the insurgents fled into Boni Forest where a major operation is underway.
However, Mutemi said the identity of the teacher who was neither a local nor ascribed to the Muslim faith could not be released by the time of going to press until his next of kin were notified of the unfortunate turn of events.
He said the chief was buried at Hulugho Muslim Cemetery in accordance Islamic rites, while the body of the teacher was later flown out in an Army helicopter to his home town in Mwingi sub county for burial preparations.
Hulugho Sub County Director of Education, Ibrahim Odowa, urged the non-local teachers in the area not to panic, but remain calm claiming that the killing of their colleague was an isolated case, amid fears that some of them were contemplating moving elsewhere for security reasons.
Meanwhile, tension remained high at the Hulugho border town for the better part of the day, as a contingent of security personnel including the military were deployed to Boni forest to flush out the fleeing gunmen.
Witnesses said drones and helicopter gunships were seen hovering around the thick forest as loud sounds of heavy bombardments disrupted the relative peace the sleepy border town enjoyed before the Al shabaab militants showed up last night.
The incident comes amid reports that at least 300 Al-Shabaab militants were earlier in the week killed in Somalia during the ongoing conflict with Somalia national army and Gor Gor special forces of Jubaland.
It is reported that subdued Al Shabaab militants were fleeing into the country through the Hulugho border point to seek safe haven in Boni forest, where one of their command centre was located.
By Mohamed Dahir
