Thursday, November 24, 2011

Soldier dies, 11 injured in suspected Al Shabaab attack



By Cyrus Ombati
One soldier died and at least 11 others injured when a timed landmine exploded on their lorry in a daring attack in Mandera town at the Kenya/Somalia border.
The soldiers were also shot at from two directions after the landmine went off at about 6am Thursday.
The injured were being treated at the local hospital. Three of them had their legs badly injured while the rest had severe burns, witnesses said.
They were part of 13 soldiers who were headed for the main border when the landmine that had been set on the road exploded few metres from their military base.
Officials in Mandera said after the explosion, there were gunshots fired from two sides by unknown assailants. The assailants escaped to the thicket as the other two soldiers jumped out and tried to repulse them.
Police immediately blamed the attack on remnants of Al Shabaab militants who are operating in the area.
"This was more of an ambush because the attackers also fired several bullets at the lorry soon after the landmine explosion. Some of them are talking and none is unconscious," explained one officer who visited the scene but asked not to be named.
There is tension in the town as the incident came a day after two police officers were attacked by gunmen and seriously wounded in Liboi on Tuesday night.
The officers were flown to Nairobi on Wednesday for specialized treatment. One of the officers was shot on the left side of his chest around 9pm at Abdi-Sugo, about five kilometres from Liboi town.
The second one sustained slight injuries in the legs after the attack by gunmen who managed to escape into darkness on foot after the ambush.
The officers were in a group of six officers from Dadaab and had reportedly taken prisoners to court and were travelling back to their station about 100km away when the incident happened.
"These are people who knew the officers had taken these prisoners to court and were returning. Investigations are underway to know who they are," said a senior officer in the area.
The victims’ colleagues said they had just passed Abdi-Sugo and were heading to Dat Kuran when the gunshot rented the air.
Police spokesman Eric Kiraithe confirmed that the incident had happened and that the officers had been brought to Nairobi.
The Mandera attack is the latest incident to happen targeted at police officers especially in the area, where it is believed the majority of Al Shabaab remnants are hiding and operating.
Officers in the larger Dadaab refugee camp have been missing death by whisker in timed but failed bomb attacks.
At least three landmines have failed to detonate after being hit by police cars in Hagadera camp since Kenyan military launched an offensive on the militants in Somalia last month.
Police believe the attacks are being launched by the sympathisers of the gang who are not happy with the operation in their country.
More anti-terror police officers have been dispatched to major towns in North Eastern to help in investigating those behind the series of attacks in the area.
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