20 January 2016•Update: 21 January 2016
By Andrew Ross
NAIROBI, Kenya
Four al-Shabaab suspects described as senior militants by Kenyan police were killed Wednesday, an official said.
The four were shot dead near Moi International Airport in southeast Kenya, police chief Matawa Muchangi said. Police recovered firearms, explosives and maps detailing planned attacks.
"Early this morning we gunned down four most wanted terrorists near the Moi International Airport," Muchangi told Anadolu Agency by telephone. "We stormed their hideout and they responded by hurling grenades at us."
"None of our officers were injured during the operation. Some of these guys had really high bounties placed on them and this is a victory in the war on terror in Kenya."
Among the dead was Mohammed Awadh Suleiman, who was the subject of a 2 million Kenyan shilling ($19,500) bounty.
Muchangi said three suspects armed with assault rifles escaped but were injured in the gunfight and he urged the public to report any individuals seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.
Police raided the house following a tip-off from the public.
Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda, has been behind a string of attacks in Kenya in recent years. In April, 148 were killed when al-Shabaab attacked a university in the country’s east and in 2013, 67 died in an attack on a shopping center in capital Nairobi.
Last week, the group stormed an African Union military base in Somalia, killing an unknown number of Kenyan troops.
