Kenya’s deploys most elite forces in Africa to rescue Cuban doctors

The KDF personnel from the elite forces pride themselves as among the best trained and equipped on the continent. PHOTO | PSCU
President Uhuru Kenyatta with His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Kingdom of Jordan during a joint military training exercise between the Kenya Defence Forces and the Royal Jordanian Armed Forces.

Kenya has deployed some of the best-trained and equipped police and military teams whose kitting and training is among the most expensive in the world. An army search operation is underway in Mandera to rescue doctors of kidnapped from the town by Al-Shabab militants.

The military deployed the fresh-trained commandos from the Long Range Surveillance (LRS) unit, to assist the police and other Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers drawn from the 1KR battalion in the search.

Long Range Surveillance Units - Long Range Surveillance Units - LRSU

Long Range Surveillance (LRS) unit are employed by Military Intelligence units and are specially trained surveillance units for gathering information from deep within hostile territory – deep behind enemy lines.

Classic Long Range Surveillance unit employment is to infiltrate deep behind enemy lines, into enemy territory, construct a hide site, and provide continuous surveillance/special reconnaissance of an intelligence target of key interest.

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Long Range Surveillance teams allow 24-hour surveillance and analysis coverage unlike Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), manned aircraft, and most satellites usually providing.

Assuming they are not compromised, they typically remain in position for up to 5 days, as determined by the available food and water supplies. Long Range Surveillance units operate up to 62 miles (100 kilometres) from the Forward Line Of Troops (FLOT) for a maximum of 5 days regarding regular procedures.

Although no rebel group has said it carried out the kidnapping of the doctors a police source told the Nation that shared intelligence indicated that the doctors were being held in El Adde in Gedow region, Somalia.

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Long Range Surveillance Units perform passive intelligence gathering missions, and are not equipped for offensive combat operations but are able to some stuff. Long Range Surveillance Units take great pains to avoid being detected.

The KDF personnel from the elite forces pride themselves as among the best trained and equipped on the continent.

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Long Range Surveillance Units teams are trained extensively in long-range communications, survival, covert observation, and various infiltration techniques.

The town the police are combing El Adde is an area where Al-Shabaab militants launched an attack on a Kenyan-run AMISOM army base and remain the deadliest attack on the AMISOM Peace Support Mission to Somalia.

Since Friday, people on both sides of the Kenya/Somalia border have been denied access to the other side. Several trucks transporting relief food to Somalia through Mandera remained parked at the border police station. Mr Kosiom could not confirm whether three trucks impounded by the police were used by the militants.

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“Concerted efforts are being made for their search and rescue by a multi-agency security team. The National Security Advisory Committee has also briefed the Cabinet Secretary of Health, Interior and Defence, who remain seized of the matter,” said National Police Service spokesman Charles Owino in a statement.

On Saturday,, police were conducting swoops in Mandera in search of people believed to have aided the abduction of doctors.

“We are sweeping the town in door-to-door operations in search of suspects who might be connected to the kidnapping,” Mandera County Police Commander Jeremiah ole Kosiom said.

Dr Assel Herera Correa,  Dr Landy Rodriguez

So far, the police have arrested the county government driver ferrying the Cubans and other police officers guarding them as they carry out investigations. Their mobile phones were sent to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for data analysis so as to evaluate whether they were connected to the attack.

Mandera County governor Ali Roba and Mandera East MP Omar Maalim promised that elected leaders, clan elders and resident will assist the government in the search and rescue mission.

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