UK issues travel advisory for citizens following Lamu attack

[Deeq A.]

The United Kingdom has issued a travel advisory for its citizens traveling to Kenya, following the recent Manda Bay attack that left three US nationals dead.

The advisory, through the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), asks UK citizens to avoid certain areas of the country if at all possible, mainly those along the Somalia border.

One week ago, suspected Al Shabaab militants attacked a military base in Manda Bay leaving one US service member and two Department of Defense contractors dead.

No Kenyans died in the attack.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said that the most vulnerable places in the country include areas within 60km of the Kenya-Somali border, Garissa County and Lamu County.

Other areas are Tana River County north of the Tana river itself and within 15km of the coast from the Tana river down to the Galana (Athi-Galana-Sabaki) river.

According to FCO, 190,000 UK residents visit Kenya every year.

“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Kenya. There is a heightened threat of terrorism, including terrorist kidnappings, across Kenya. Attacks, including terrorist kidnappings, could target Westerners, including British nationals,” the statement read in part.

The office also said that the attacks could be indiscriminate in places frequented by foreigners such as hotels, bars, restaurants, sports bars and nightclubs, sporting events, supermarkets, and shopping centers.

The statement comes after the United States deployed one of its top elite military units to guard its interests in the country following the attack.

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