MANDERA, Kenya — At least six people were killed and several others injured after armed attackers ambushed a passenger vehicle in Mandera East Constituency, in the latest security incident near the volatile Kenya-Somalia border.
Police confirmed the attack occurred on Saturday morning along the road linking Mandera Town and Arabia Town.
Authorities said the 14-seater public service vehicle was attacked at Beer-Awayon village by suspected al-Shabaab militants, although investigations into the motive remain ongoing.
Emergency response teams and local security personnel rushed to the scene before evacuating the injured victims to Mandera Referral Hospital for treatment.
Officials had not yet released the identities of those killed by Saturday afternoon as investigations and family notifications continued.
The attack adds to growing security concerns in Kenya’s northeastern region, where cross-border incursions by suspected al-Shabaab fighters have persisted for years despite intensified military and intelligence operations by Kenyan authorities.
The extremist group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda, has frequently targeted civilian vehicles, security personnel, telecommunications infrastructure and public transport routes in counties bordering Somalia, including Mandera, Wajir and Garissa.
The latest ambush comes just days after another suspected terror-related incident in Mandera County involving an improvised explosive device (IED).
According to police reports, a suspected directional IED detonated along the Elwak–Eresuki road on Thursday, May 7, in what authorities believe was an attempted attack targeting security personnel guarding a government infrastructure project.
The officers were reportedly providing security for ongoing works linked to the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project, a major regional infrastructure initiative aimed at improving transport and trade connectivity in northeastern Kenya.
A joint patrol team comprising officers from the Kenya Defence Forces and the National Police Service later visited the scene and confirmed that the explosive device had detonated near a borrow pit where marram was being extracted for road construction.
Also Read: DCI busts Al-Shabaab network in Eastleigh, seizes suspected uniforms
No injuries or fatalities were reported in the IED incident.
Security agencies have since intensified operations in the region, amid fears that militants may be attempting to disrupt infrastructure projects and transport movement near the border corridor.
Kenya has in recent years increased surveillance, border patrols and military operations in northeastern counties following repeated attacks blamed on al-Shabaab militants operating from neighboring Somalia.
The government has also invested heavily in road infrastructure, security installations and intelligence coordination in the region as part of efforts to improve connectivity while countering militant activity.
