Gunmen raid Wajir village, kill one and injure four in fresh border attack
Locals and a section government officials attribute the growing instability in the Northern Kenya to recent abolition of manadatory vetting exercise by Kenyan government before issuance of national identification documents and prolonged volatility in Somalia, which has lacked a stable central government for decades, continues to fuel cross-border attacks and insecurity in Kenya's northeastern counties.
One person was killed and four others injured after heavily armed attackers raided Gaboy village in Hadado Sub-county, Wajir County, in the latest incident highlighting persistent insecurity along Kenya’s border with Somalia.
Locals and a section government officials attribute the growing instability in the Northern Kenya to recent abolition of manadatory vetting exercise by Kenyan government before issuance of national identification documents and prolonged volatility in Somalia, which has lacked a stable central government for decades, continues to fuel cross-border attacks and insecurity in Kenya’s northeastern counties.
Police said the attack occurred on Sunday, June 21, at Gaboy village in Omar Digle location. A multi-agency security team comprising officers from Hadado Sub-county, the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), Administration Police Service (APS) and Hadado Police Station visited the scene after the shooting was reported.
Preliminary investigations established that a group of gunmen armed with rifles stormed the village and opened fire, killing 56-year-old Bishar Mohammed Hussein and injuring four others. Three goats were also shot dead during the raid.
The injured victims were rushed to Korich Dispensary for treatment before being evacuated for further medical care.
Crime scene investigators recovered 61 spent AK-47 cartridges and six spent G3 rifle cartridges, indicating an intense exchange of gunfire.
Security officers later combed the suspected hideout area at Weldire but found it abandoned.
Police have not established the motive behind the attack, although local residents linked the incident to recurring disputes over grazing land and administrative boundaries, which frequently trigger inter-clan clashes in the area.
Authorities urged residents to remain calm as investigations continue to identify and apprehend those behind the attack.
The latest violence comes amid heightened security concerns in Kenya’s northeastern region, where communities continue to grapple with sporadic inter-clan conflicts and incursions by al-Shabaab militants from neighbouring Somalia.
Last week, suspected al-Shabaab militants attacked a Special Operations Group (SOG) camp and an Administration Police camp in Fino Ward, Lafey Sub-county, Mandera County, using rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles.
One police officer sustained a knee injury during the more than 30-minute gun battle, while one of the RPGs struck inside the camp, destroying a toilet block.
On June 21, suspected al-Shabaab militants also attempted to attack a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) camp at Irresuki in Mandera Central Sub-county using RPGs and AK-47 rifles, but security personnel repulsed the assault. No casualties were reported among security officers.
Security agencies have in recent months intensified operations along the Kenya-Somalia border, including dismantling suspected militant hideouts and increasing deployments in vulnerable areas.
At the weekend, a joint security operation in the Digdiga area of Wajir County led to the destruction of a suspected al-Shabaab camp at Qanjara Durow.
Security officers recovered communication equipment, ammunition, improvised explosive device materials, uniforms, food supplies and other logistical items linked to militant activities.
