At least six police officers injured in suspected al-Shabaab IED attack in Mandera

At least six security officers were injured after a police vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED) in a suspected militant ambush along the Elwak–Wargadud road in Mandera county, police said.

According to police, the attack occurred on Friday, March 13, at about 6:30 am. when officers from Elwak Police Station were travelling to Udole Pit on relief duties.

The officers were aboard a station vehicle and carrying a total of 15 personnel. 

At the time of the incident, the police vehicle was overtaking a passenger bus belonging to Habib Bus Company, which was heading toward Mandera town. 

Police said that as the vehicle attempted to pass the bus, a directional IED detonated, striking the police cruiser. 

The explosion was followed by an ambush believed to have been carried out by suspected militants linked to the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabaab.

The blast caused significant damage to the police vehicle, shattering the windscreen, breaking the side mirrors and damaging the doors. 

Two rear windows of the bus were also shattered by the impact. 

The bus driver sped past the scene and did not stop.

Six officers sustained injuries during the attack. Another reservist suffered injuries to the abdomen and leg, as well as a cut above the eye. 

The remaining officers in the vehicle were accounted for and were reported to be in stable condition.

Security teams, including the subcounty security committee and personnel from the Kenya Defence Forces, visited the scene and launched combing operations in pursuit of the attackers.

Authorities said the scene was processed and investigations into the attack are ongoing. A major hunt was launched in the area in vain. The injured were flown to Nairobi for further medical attention, police said.

The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border where the militants cross and attack. 

Kenya has been reinforcing the area with more security personnel. 

Many believe some of these incidents happen out of help by locals and some insiders.

Authorities have been urging locals to cooperate with them to tame the attacks which have generally affected development in the area. The most targeted are security officials.

Somalia has not had an effective central government since the 1991 overthrow of President Siad Barre's military regime, which ushered in more than two decades of anarchy and conflict in a country deeply divided along clan lines.

Kenya launched Operation Linda Nchi on October 14, 2011, after gunmen seized tourists at the Coast, which the government saw as a threat to the country's sovereignty, as it targeted the nation's economic lifeline, which is tourism.

Several regions have since been liberated from the terrorists.