Gunmen shoot dead police reservist in Mandera

Residents said the gunmen trailed the deceased to his house where they shot and killed him at 2 am.

In Summary
  • They escaped soon after the May 29 incident, police said adding they suspect he was trailed.
  • Police arrived at the scene moments later and processed it before allowing the family to bury the body.

Police are hunting down gunmen suspected to be al Shabaab terrorists who shot and killed a National Police Reservist in the Guticha area, Mandera North.

The body of Mohamed Mohamed Abdullah who was popularly known as as general in the area was found Monday morning after the shooting.

Residents said the gunmen trailed the deceased to his house where they shot and killed him at 2 am.

They escaped soon after the May 29 incident, police said adding they suspect he was trailed.

Police arrived at the scene moments later and processed it before allowing the family to bury the body.

This is the latest incident to happen in the area amid fears the terrorists are trying to set up a base there for a planned attack.

On May 1, six police officers were injured after their vehicle was hit by an Improvised Explosive Device in Rhamu, Mandera.

The officers were driving in an official vehicle headed for Mandera town when they ran over a set bomb.

Another team was attacked in the same area days later but managed to escape unhurt.

On May 22, multi-agency teams stopped a major planned terrorist attack and recovered an arsenal of weapons in an operation in Alango, Garrissa County.

Police said the team recovered six AK47 rifles, two Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPGs), PKM, two grenades other items. The team also found warheads, 20 magazines and a belt of 200 rounds, a cell phone and a memory card.

This is after the team raided an al Shabaab camp in Alango in Garissa which militants planned to use to launch attacks in the County.

Police spokesperson Dr Resila Onyango said the operation is ongoing.

More personnel have been deployed in the area in efforts to tame the attacks. Residents have always been urged to work with security agencies to tame the trend.

This is because such attacks cannot happen without the knowledge of the locals.

This comes amid heightened security following fears the terror group could be planning an attack after a long lull.

The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by locals.

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, which left dozens of civilians and security officials dead and wounded.

The terrorists have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies. 

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