Five Kenyan security officers were killed on Tuesday after their patrol clashed with suspected al Shabaab militants in Mandera county, close to the Somali border, police said.
The encounter happened around noon near Wantey Dam, according to a police report. Officers from the SOG Alungu unit came under fire from the militants.
A reinforcement team sent to support the patrol was later struck by an improvised explosive device that destroyed an armored vehicle. Police confirmed there were no additional casualties from the blast. Security forces are now pursuing the attackers.
Al Shabaab has waged a years-long insurgency aimed at toppling Somalia’s central government and imposing its own strict version of sharia law across the Horn of Africa. The group frequently carries out attacks in border areas of Kenya, targeting both security personnel and civilians.
In January, police said militants killed a local chief and a teacher in nearby Garissa county.
