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Kenya to build wall along border with Somalia to curb attacks: official

Xinhua, March 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya plans to kick off construction of a wall along its border with Somalia as a security measure to help thwart off cross-border incursions by Al-Shabaab militants.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said this was part of the government's plan of ensuring the insecurity-hit Mandera County is safe from Al-Shabaab militants, adding that the construction of the security wall will start this week in Mandera town to Wajir.

"Mandera and Bulahawa are almost merged and you cannot tell which is which. Now we want to put a wall at border point one and close the border," Nkaissery told a local television station in comments received on Monday.

He said the construction of the wall will reduce the porous border entries into the country, which has witnessed increased terror attacks recently.

"The security wall will separate Mandera and neighboring Somalia as part of the government's plan in ensuring the vast county and the whole nation is safe from Al-Shabaab militants," he added.

Nkaissery said the security wall will provide a long term security efforts to secure the border, adding that once the wall's construction is completed, it will only be crossed by entering through the appropriate border points.

The Islamist group has carried series of deadly attacks in northern Kenya and other towns, including the capital city of Nairobi since the East African country sent its military into Somalia in 2011 to fight the Al-Qaida inspired group.

Kenyan authorities have also blamed the militants for being behind spates of kidnapping of expatriates working in the sprawling refugee camps in the incursion-prone northern region and tourists in the coastal archipelago towns of Mombasa and Lamu.

Some 64 people were killed late last year in Mandera County in two attacks by the Al-Shabaab militants, and more than five others died in the wake of fresh attacks by the militants early this year in the same county.

The construction of the wall comes after Kenya said in December last year said it was in discussions with Ethiopia to create a buffer zone inside Somalia along their respective borders to deter Al-Shabaab attacks. Endi