Two killed in Al-Shabaab attack in Kenya amid anti-militant push in Somalia

GARISSA, Kenya - The Al-Shabaab militants killed two people in Kenya in the latest attack which targeted the Northern Frontier District [NDF] of Mandera, a few months after the militants abducted four people and drove them to Somalia, just across the border.

According to authorities in Kenya, the militants attacked a vehicle between Jabibar and Bamboo in Mandera North. They were driving in a Land cruiser along the dangerous Rhamu-Elwak road which connects to Wajir and Garissa in northeastern Kenya.

Onesmus Kyatha, the Mandera County Commissioner, confirmed the incident and said a reinforcement had been sent to the area to pursue the attackers. Three other passengers were on board when the incident happened, and the victims were a father and his son.

Locals said the gang was after the vehicle for use in Somalia where they are facing pressure from the local administration. The militants are facing hard times in Somalia where the government has launched a full-blown war against them.

The NPR officers who were heading to Gari village are nursing injuries at Rhamu Sub-county Hospital, police said. Witnesses said the gang opened fire on the speeding car after the driver refused to stop, leading to a confrontation that lasted for some minutes.

According to The Star, this comes days after the terrorists stole a four-wheel drive car belonging to a Mandera resident.

The vehicle was rented by a local agency -Action Against Hunger- operating in Takaba for a medical campaign and was attacked between Elram and Falama areas south of Mandera when it was robbed on December 8, 2022.

Al-Shabaab militants are running away from Somalia following the ongoing crackdown, and Kenyan authorities have already arrested seven of them who are said to have tried to cross over the border. The militants are said to be of Tanzanian and Ethiopian origin.

GAROWE ONLINE