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News10 June 2026 - 07:39

Two shot dead in suspected al Shabaab attack in Mandera

About 10 heavily armed assailants believed to have crossed from Somalia raided Elgolicha village near the Kenya-Somalia border

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by CYRUS OMBATI
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Crime scene
Gunmen shoot and kill two, injure woman in cross-border attack in Mandera

Two people were killed and a woman seriously injured following a cross-border gun attack by suspected armed militia in Mandera county.

According to police, the attack occurred at about 3:00 am on June 8 when about 10 heavily armed assailants believed to have crossed from Somalia raided Elgolicha village near the Kenya-Somalia border.

Such attacks are common in the area and are usually blamed on militia and terror group al Shabaab.

The attackers reportedly shot dead 82-year-old Abdo Ali Gole and injured his wife, during the assault.

The assailants also killed Ibrahim Issack, a middle-aged man, near the border area before fleeing, police and locals said.

The motive of the incident was not immediately known.

The incident heightened tensions in the region as security agencies moved in to assess the situation and begin investigations.

Post-mortem examinations established that both men died from excessive bleeding caused by gunshot wounds.

Following the examinations, the bodies were released to their families for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.

Police said the woman sustained multiple injuries, including a fractured right radius, a gunshot wound to the right thigh, and injuries to her left arm.

She was initially admitted to Elwak Referral Hospital before being transferred to Wajir County Referral Hospital for specialised treatment.

Security agencies are continuing investigations into the attack as efforts to prevent further escalation of tensions along the border continue.

The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border where terrorists including al Shabaab cross and attack using guns and explosives. The government has responded by deploying more security agents in the area for operations.

The operations that are being conducted in the area have helped to thwart many such attacks, officials say.

The incident comes as security agencies continue to enhance operations along the Kenya-Somalia border to avert continued attempts by the al Shabaab militia to infiltrate the country.

This has led to some of the attackers being killed and weapons and explosives recovered.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre's military regime, which ushered in more than two decades of anarchy and conflict in a country deeply divided along clan lines.

Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi on October 14, 2011, after gunmen seized tourists at the Coast, which the Government saw as a threat to the country's sovereignty, as it targeted the nation's economic lifeline which is tourism.

The operations have liberated many places in Somalia.

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