At least 2 police killed in northeast Kenya

Two special forces police on patrol along the porous Kenya-Somali border were killed by a roadside bomb planted by Somalia-based, al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab militants, officials said Saturday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on via phone, Wajir County Police Commander Thomas Ngeywa said in the Friday attack “our police officers were killed by an improvised explosive device planted along their patrol route. Seven were injured, two were killed.”

He added that reinforcements have been sent to the area to pursue and secure the area where the last militant activity was witnessed.

Wajir’s close proximity to the porous Kenyan-Somali border has seen it face numerous similar attacks by al-Shabaab militants who cross in from Somalia to wreak havoc in Kenya.

Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab militants have long carried out similar attacks in Kenya targeting security officers. In 2018 more than 100 Kenya police were killed in separate IED attacks along the porous Kenyan-Somali border.