Al-Shabaab Returnees Arrested in Kenya As Somalia Pursues Militants

Police in Wajir and Garissa are holding six individuals suspected to be members of Somalia's Al-Shabaab militants.

The development happened as Kenya stepped up its border operations after a campaign against militants in Somalia.

The six were reportedly stopped separately by police as they tried to escape into Kenya after finding the al-Shabaab training camps to be hostile places.

The terror group lures recruits from Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia with promises of comparatively high pay but once they reach the training camps, they change their minds, forcing them to flee to Kenya.

Yusuf, a 38-year-old Tanzanian banker, was detained in November in Liboi, Garissa County, while three of his coworkers managed to flee.

Five additional Ethiopian nationals were detained at the border after attempting to flee and citing a hostile environment as their justification.

Police were informed by Nur Osman Chawo, Suleiman Kadu Shale, Mohamed Abdulkadir Jibich, Ridwan Haji Abdulbasir, and Anwar Jamal Hajiwadow that they were recruited, transported to Somalia for training, and then enlisted to fight throughout Somalia.

Currently, the police are improving border patrols using the information they learned from the suspects, especially in and around the areas and routes that militants escaping Somalia are most likely to use to enter the country.

More security personnel have been deployed to the border, according to police, who also stated that they are closely monitoring the situation in Somalia.

A crackdown has been implemented to catch the suspects after it is believed that more than 50 youths fled the terror group's hostile training camps into the nation.

The three people who escaped during the arrest of Yusuf are still being sought after, and police are pleading with the public for any information that might help in their capture.

An operation against the gang has been started by the government of Somalia and other allies.