Death Reported After Al Shabaab Ambush Police Car & Open Fire in Mandera

Officers from the Quick Response Unit (QRU) at the Magadi Field Training Campus in Kajiado County on October 29, 2020
Officers from the Quick Response Unit (QRU) at the Magadi Field Training Campus in Kajiado County on October 29, 2020
PSCU

Police officers from the Quick Response Unit (QRU) were on Friday, June 2, attacked by suspected Al Shabaab gunmen.

An OB obtained by Kenyans.co.ke indicated that the officers were patrolling along Tabaka-Elele road when they were ambushed by the suspected members of the militia group.

The gunmen fired rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at the officer's vehicle claiming the life of one was and injuring five others.

"Be informed that today 2/6/2023 at around 1000hrs, QRU officers, while patrolling along Takaba - Elele road at Agriculture area about 1.6 kilometers from Elele centre, were ambushed by suspected al Shabaab militia by firing RPGS on their vehicle," read part of the police report.

An undated photo of members of the outlawed Al Shabaab sect.
Members of the outlawed Al Shabaab terror group in Mogadishu on May 19, 2021.
Photo
Council on Foreign Relations

Following the incident, officers from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Elwak were contacted to airlift the casualties to safety.

AMREF team, on the other hand, was contacted to evacuate the victims from Elwak to Nairobi for treatment.

Mandera County Commissioner Amos Mariba revealed that another set of police officers were deployed in the area to apprehend the culprits.

The injured officers had been deployed to Mandera County after initial reports indicated that al Shabaab militia had invaded the region.

"The enemy has taken advantage of the improved vegetation to hide," he told the media.

In January 2023, three people were reported dead and others injured in a similar attack in Bura East Garissa County.

Police reports revealed that vehicles used by engineers from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) allegedly planted by the terror group.

"We want to appeal to the local people around that area to be calm as we pursue the criminals. We assure the public that we will arrest them to face the law and bring calm back to the area," Garissa County Commissioner Boaz Cherutich urged.

The wreck of a vehicle involved in a suspected Al Shabaab attack in Garissa county on Wednesday January 11, 2023
The wreck of a vehicle involved in a suspected Al Shabaab attack in Garissa county on Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Photo
National Police Service
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