Eight killed in suspected al-Shabaab ambush in northeast Kenya: police

NAIROBI — Eight people were killed Tuesday in northeastern Kenya when suspected al-Shabaab militants attacked a vehicle carrying construction workers and police near the Somali border, officials said.

The victims included five construction workers, two police reservists, and their driver, according to police and a senior regional administrative official.

"The team was traveling to a project site when they were ambushed by suspected al-Shabaab fighters," a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity. "Eight people lost their lives in the attack."

The incident occurred in Mandera County near the porous border with Somalia, an area that has frequently been targeted by the Al-Qaeda-linked extremist group.

Al-Shabaab has waged a violent insurgency against Somalia's central government for over 15 years and has repeatedly launched cross-border raids into Kenya.

The group, which targets Kenyan security personnel, infrastructure, and civilians, demands the withdrawal of Kenyan troops stationed in Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping force.

Security forces have launched a search operation in the area to track down the assailants.