Five officers killed by Al shabaab in Mandera as border reopening, vetting abolition fuel fears

Five Kenyan security officers were yesterday killed in an attack by suspected Al-Shabaab militants in Mandera County, triggering a major security operation along the Kenya-Somalia border.

The officers were killed during a patrol in Lafey Sub-County, an area that has witnessed a surge in militant activity in recent months amid renewed security concerns following the reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border.

The latest attack comes amid a series of security incidents in northeastern Kenya, with concerns growing over increased militant activity following the reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border and the abolition of the mandatory vetting process for national identity card applicants in the region.

According to preliminary police findings, among those killed were identified as Police Constable Ngaira Wekesa, Administration Police Constable Patrick Mwaura Karumba, Administration Police Constable Peter Mbugua Mburu, Administration Police Constable Yasin Kiptoo Lomer and National Police Reservist Adan Adow Gedi. Four of the victims were attached to the elite Special Operations Group (SOG), while the fifth served as a National Police Reservist.

According to a police findings, the patrol team encountered suspected Al-Shabaab militants in the Wantey Dam area, about six kilometres southeast of the SOG camp at Alungu.

“A patrol team from SOG Alungu came into contact with Al-Shabaab militants in the general area of Wantey Dam, approximately six kilometres southeast of the station. During the incident, the following officers were fatally injured,” an investigation police report says.

Following the attack, a Quick Response Unit was dispatched from the SOG camp at Alungu to reinforce the patrol and support ongoing operations. However, while rushing to the scene, the responding team’s armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED), destroying the vehicle.

Police said no officers aboard the reinforcement vehicle were injured in the explosion.

The attack has renewed concerns over the continued use of roadside bombs by suspected Al-Shabaab militants operating near the porous Kenya-Somalia border.

Security agencies immediately launched a manhunt for the attackers, with officers combing the area late into Tuesday evening.

However, security sources familiar with the operation gave a different account, indicating that the five officers were killed after their patrol vehicle struck an IED along the Alungu Main Supply Route in the El-Raamo area of Kutulo, near the Kenya-Somalia border.

According to the sources, the powerful blast destroyed the patrol vehicle, killing all five officers instantly before suspected militants launched an ambush on the security team.

The sources further said a fierce gun battle broke out between SOG officers and the attackers in the aftermath of the explosion, but the militants managed to escape under the cover of the attack.

Authorities had not reconciled the differing accounts by Tuesday evening, but confirmed that a multi-agency security operation was underway to pursue the assailants and secure the area.