April 11th, Dhobley Somalia – In a brief operation on the outskirts of Dhobley town, AMISOM and Interim Jubba Administration (IJA) forces rescued two Kenyan nationals who were kidnapped by the terror group Al Shabaab in 2011.
James Kiarie Gichoi, working for aid agency Care International was kidnapped near the Dadaab refugee camp, while Daniel Njuguna Wanyoike, a driver’s helper employed by Shibli Enterprises Ltd, a company contracted by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to transport medical supplies from Nairobi to Marerey, was kidnapped in Afmadow.
The two are currently receiving treatment at the AMISOM Level II hospital in Dhobley before further repatriation to Nairobi, Kenya.
The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to Somalia (SRCC) Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif congratulated the Kenya Defence Forces on the rescue.
“Our mandate requires us to create a safe haven for aid agencies to carry out their operations and we are committed to ensuring the protection of aid workers as they deliver essential services to the Somali population,” he said.
AMISOM forces are currently engaged alongside the Somali National Army (SNA) in an offensive to capture Al Shabaab’s last strongholds. So far, ten strategic towns have been liberated.
