NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 14 – At least eight police officers were killed Tuesday in Bodhei at the border of Lamu and Garissa counties when the vehicle they were travelling in ran over an Improvised Explosive Device.
The officers drawn from the special forces unit were on routine patrol before the incident, the latest in a series of attacks in the North targeting security personnel.
Authorities said the officers died on the spot following the IED attack that has been blamed on the Somalia-based Al-Qaeda linked jihadist group Al-Shabaab.
The bodies were recovered but the identities of the victims were yet been established because of the level of explosion that reportedly dismembered their bodies.
The vehicle was also destroyed beyond recognition.
The number of officers who were on board the vehicle, have not been established,
The scene was processed by security personnel who responded to the scene.
In another separate attack reported near Mararani suspected, Al Shabaab militants attacked security officers using a rocket propelled grenade, RPG.
Earlier, three people were injured when suspected Al-Shabaab militants waylaid a Mandera-bound bus in Wajir before spraying it with bullets.
In recent weeks, there has been a surge in Al-Shabaab attacks in the North Eastern and Coastal regions which has resulted to deaths and injuries.
However, the bus driver defied the orders to stop and drove away from the scene saving the passengers.
On June 7, at least seven police officers sustained injuries when the vehicle they were traveling in ran over an IED in Mandera South.
The victims were injured to varying degrees, with some suffering injuries to the head, neck, and chest during the morning attack.
The IED had been strategically planted on the left side of the road, leading to the incident.
According to the police, the officers were traveling in an armored Land Rover vehicle along the Elwak-Alungu road when the incident occurred.
“The vehicle was hit on the left side just behind the commander’s seat,” read the police report in part.
It is believed that the attack was orchestrated by suspected Al-Shabaab militants.
The officers had previously traveled to Elwak to refuel their vehicle before the incident took place.
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