NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 31 – Kenya and the United States Embassy in Nairobi conducted a joint terror drill Saturday to test preparedness.
The exercise at Rosslyn Academy in Gigiri involved at least 100 officers drawn from the Special Program for Embassy Augmentation and Response team (SPEAR) as part of wider efforts to step up the country’s readiness and interoperability in the wake of the rising terror threat globally.
Kenya’s Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), Bomb Disposal Unit, Boarder Patrol Unit, emergency first responders, and disaster management response teams took part.
The exercise which was characterised by simulation of gun fire and explosives was carried out in partnership with Aga khan and MP Shah hospitals where ‘victims’ were rushed for emergency treatment.
“The objective is for readiness. It’s the sixth time we have done this, every time we are evaluating response times, capabilities and interoperability of first responders, law enforcement and this is led by the SPEAR team which is a specifically designed group of law enforcement folks who protects diplomatic facilities and personnel,” US Embassy Spokesman Andrew Veveiros told reporters.
The exercise was also attended by representatives from the Kenyan government and the US Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
The mock exercise included simulated explosions, blank gun fire, fire and traffic disruption around nearby roads within the city.
Veveiros stated that it was very important for regular trainings to be conducted between law enforcement officers and first responders to improve response times in the event of crisis.
Kenya last suffered a major terror attack on January 15, 2019 at the Dusit D2 Hotel complex in Nairobi where more than 20 people were killed among them sixteen Kenyans, one American, a South African, a Briton, and 3 others who were not immediately identified.
Authorities said the attack was carried out by al-Qaeda affiliated terror group Al Shabaab of Sonalia which has staged dozens of other attacks on Kenyan soil.
They include the Westgate Shopping Mall on September 21, 2013 that left 71 people dead among them four terrorists, Garissa University on April 3, 2015 when 147 people, many of them students were killed, among others.
In August 1998, more than 200 people were killed when terrorists staged an attack at the US Embassy in Nairobi.
Veveiros has stressed on the need for preparedness by security forces and other emergency responders.
“We want to show the Kenyan public that the Kenyan law enforcement community, first responders, guards at schools local schools, US Embassy that other partners are thinking and preparing about this emergency situations and it is important for them to know that these exercises meant to improve response times,” he said.
The simulated exercise began with heavily armed suspected terrorists taking control of a van and forcing their way into the school after attacking the security guards stationed at the institutions main gate which was followed by a suicide bomber attack as others made their way into the school.
More than 20 minutes after the first attack, a team of highly trained officers made their way into the school compound as medics tended to the injured. There was heavy exchange of fire amongst the officers and the suspected attackers as more bombs went off inside the school.
More rapid response teams of officers arrived at the scene to provide backup for their counterparts as the attack continued.
They were followed by another team of Bomb Disposal Unit officers who used a remote-control robot to inspect the vehicle that had been used by the suspected terrorists before they made their way into the institution where the attack was active.
The simulation exercise also included the evacuation of casualties to local hospitals and emergency rooms which was meant to enhance the abilities of first responders in handling such situations in case of large-scale attacks.
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