Al-Shabaab militants kill eight in Kenya
CAPTION: The pickup that was ambushed by gunmen in Kenya’s north eastern Mandera County.
By Our reporter
KENYA – At least eight people, including five road construction workers and two police reservists, were killed Tuesday in a suspected Al-Shabaab ambush in Kenya’s north eastern Mandera County, near the border with Somalia, according to media reports.
The attackers opened fire on a vehicle escorting workers along the Arabia-Lafey road in the Hagarsu area, killing all eight occupants, including the driver.
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“It is particularly painful that individuals dedicated to advancing infrastructure and development in our county have lost their lives in such tragic circumstances,” Mandera Gov. Mohamed Adan Khalif said in a statement.
Khalif urged an urgent investigation and the arrest of those responsible, saying residents deserved security and freedom from intimidation.
Police deployed a multi-agency security team to pursue the attackers, while the bodies of the victims were taken to Mandera Teaching and Referral Hospital.
The attack comes three days after suspected Al-Shabaab militants targeted police installations in neighboring Garissa County and attempted to attack a security base in Mandera. Security forces repelled the assaults.
Mandera lies along Kenya’s porous border with Somalia, where Al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency for nearly two decades.
The al-Qaeda-linked group has repeatedly carried out attacks in northeastern Kenya, targeting security personnel, civilians and infrastructure projects.
Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the militants, who have since launched deadly retaliatory attacks, including the deadly 2013 Westgate shopping mall siege in Nairobi and the 2015 Garissa University massacre.
