- Transport operations have been grounded on most roads in parts of Mandera
- Mandera County officials stopped movement of their vehicles on the roads over insecurity
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
A suspected al-shabaab militant was killed by special teams that landed in Bambo area, Mandera County hours after two police officers had been shot dead.
At least 12 other officers were injured in the Saturday morning incident along Rhamu-Mandera Road.
This was after the militants ambushed a lorry that was carrying 20 officers and food to Mandera Town in Bambo area.
Police said teams responded to the scene and managed to kill one of the attackers. The others managed to escape but an operation is ongoing in the area.
Locals said the militants had been sighted days earlier and were planting explosives.
The al-Shabaab militants first tried to use a rocket propelled grenade on the lorry but missed prompting them to use rifles.
They sprayed the lorry as it paced past where they had staged the ambush.
A police officer who survived the attack said their driver drove past the scene at high speed amid heavy gunfire.
North Eastern regional police commander Rono Bunei confirmed the incident and said a reinforcement had been sent to the ground to pursue the attackers.
The lorry’s tyres were deflated but the driver managed to control it for almost 20 kilometers and called for medical help on those injured.
On Friday December 3, a planned attack on the government officials using an improvised explosive device failed after it exploded prematurely in Fino area.
This is the latest such incident to happen in the area in the past months.
This has grounded many operations in the expansive county, which has left at least 30 people dead.
The incidents come in the wake of a campaign mounted in the area by Governor Ali Roba, EAC Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed, local senator and a host of Members of Parliament against al-Shabaab.
The leaders said al-Shabaab remains the greatest enemy of development in Mandera and urged the locals to help security agents to tame them.
There are concerns the persistent attacks are grounding operations in the region. Transport has been grounded as there is little movements in fear of attacks.
Officials at the Mandera County Government in June 2021 stopped the movement of their vehicles over increasing terror-related incidents in the area.
Mandera County Secretary Abdinur Hussein released a memo on June 10 and explained strict regulations to be followed in the movements of their vehicles.
He told the county executive committee members to ensure no vehicle is on the road past 5 pm on any weekday.
Hussein said until further notice no vehicle will be authorized to travel to the sub-counties unless on emergency missions such as ambulances, health utility vehicles or Covid-19 pandemic responses, firefighting trucks, skip loaders and sanitation trucks.
The area of the attack, which is the northern part of the country has been a safe area since 2013 but has lately been a soft target.
Police have been mounting operations in the areas to deter their plans.
The terrorists have been targeting security installations in the area in a series of incidents destroying them.
This has affected among others the education sector forcing tens of teachers who are non-locals to flee.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by locals.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
The insurgents have been attacking places in the region especially in Mandera and Garissa after breaching security zones, which left dozens of civilians and security officials dead or wounded.
They have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies and attacking them.