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In apparent warning shots to bandits and other armed groups across the country, the government has turned the ongoing security operation in Laikipia into a platform to showcase its might by deploying some rarely seen weaponry.
To ensure the bandits are repelled and normalcy resumes, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i ordered a multi-agency team to comb through the Laikipia conservancy.
The area feels like a war zone complete with an array of visible weaponry in the hands of tough-looking officers.
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Interior CS Fred Matiang'i in Laikipia
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With the government directing schools to be opened from Monday, September 13, the onus falls on the security teams to restore peace and calm.
Some of the teams on the ground include the National Police Reservists, Rapid Deployment Unit, Anti Stock Theft Unit, GSU, and AP.
In terms of heavy equipment, the government has deployed the modified Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, APCs and a cache of guns including the AK47 and G3 rifles.
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A Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle deployed in Laikipia
The mrap is an all-terrain frontline vehicle that is capable of manoeuvring its way to remote bandit's hideouts and can find its way through the thickets.
With its bulletproof armour, it is able to create a buffer to repulse potential attackers. The armoured personnel carrier is also critical in the ongoing operation due to its all-terrain ability with a 360 rotation shooting design used to suppress gunfire from the bandits as the officers zero in.
“By causing distress to our citizens you have called us in for work, now we have come and are ready to for battle,” Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said in a recent visit to the Laikipia Conservancy.
So daring are the bandits that they attacked a drone used by KTN to locate their hideouts. As the unmanned aerial vehicle made its way through their hideouts, the bandits could be seen throwing projectiles at it and eventually tried to shoot it down.
The officers on the ground are armed to the teeth with state of the art guns to match the bandits who are said to be using M16 rifles.
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An officer operating a HK 21 rifle
One of the special rifles the police are using is the belt-fed HK 21 whose belt contains up to 200 bullets.
The gun can be held by hand or mounted on a vehicle and is effective when suppressing enemy fire because it can fire up to 900 bullets per minute with an effective range of 2,000 metres.
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Details of rarely-seen weapons Matiang'i has unleashed on Laikipia bandits
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Details of rarely-seen weapons Matiang'i has unleashed on Laikipia bandits