- The teachers escaped from the school compound and hid at unknown place.
- They had not been traced by Wednesday morning and officials said efforts to locate them were ongoing.
Image: FILE
Al Shabaab militants attacked a primary school in Mandera East near the Kenya-Somalia border on Wednesday.
Witnesses told police the attack targeted three non-local teachers who were present.
The unknown number of terrorists who were armed with guns and explosives struck Libehiya Primary School in Arabia subcounty.
Police and witnesses said the incident happened at about 2am. The teachers escaped from the school compound and hid at unknown place.
They had not been traced by Wednesday morning and officials said efforts to locate them were ongoing.
There are fears the group is planning large scale attacks in the region.
The attack was disrupted by a group of National Police Reservists who responded and engaged the attackers.
Police said the same group targeted a communication mast in the shopping centre but were also repulsed by reservists who were manning it.
The attackers used Rocket Propelled Grenades to attack the mast damaging part of it.
In Lafey subcounty, the same group was spotted probing a police camp amid fears of plans to attack it.
Witnesses said the gang surveyed Alungu Quick Response Unit camp an hour after an earlier attack on the school and later fired an RPG at a communication mast there.
The officers present repulsed the group, which escaped towards the main border.
Police said damages on the property is affecting communication in the area.
This is the latest such incident to happen after a long lull.
The lull was out of persistent security operations in the region and especially near the Kenya-Somalia border.
Northeastern police boss George Seda said they deployed more police officers to pursue the attackers who escaped towards the border.
No injury was reported in the latest incident. The masts are usually manned by police officers.
The terrorists have been targeting security installations. This is despite campaigns to address the insecurity menace in the area.
The attacks have affected the education sector, forcing tens of teachers who are non-locals to leave.
Other professionals also escaped amid mounted security operations.
The terrorists say they are conducting the attacks to put pressure on Kenyan troops in Somalia to leave.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by residents.
Somalia has not had a stable government after the fall of Siad Barre in 1991.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
Al-Shabaab terrorists have been attacking places in the region, especially in Mandera and Garissa counties after breaching security zones.
The attacks left dozens of civilians and security officials dead and wounded.
The terrorists have also been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies.
Kenyan troops are in Somalia to pursue and suppress the activities of the terror group.
Kenyan troops first entered Somalia in 2011 when the country launched a military offensive against the al-Shabaab in an operation code-named “Operation Linda Nchi.”
The operation was to counter a rising insurgency that saw a number of tourists abducted from the Kenyan coast.
As a result of Kenya’s involvement in Somalia, the country has suffered several large and small-scale attacks from the militant group both in the country and Kenya’s security installations outside the country.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)