Suspected Somali militia kill two people in Mandera

By Adow Jubat

Mandera, Kenya: Two people were Saturday night killed in the border town of Mandera in North-Eastern Kenya by suspected Somali militia.

According to the police, the two, a mason and a welder were gunned down at close range by gunmen at the porous border at about 8.15pm, as they relaxed outside their rental house, in the outskirts of Mandera town.

The scene of the killing is just 100 meters from the war-strife bordering town of Bulla-Xawa, Somalia.

Confirming the incident, Mandera County police Commander Rono Bunie said the assailants, who shot the deceased severally, melted into the darkness of night, shortly after spraying precision bullets on their victims.

He said “The deceased who are among hundreds of non-local communities, were staying with two other colleagues in a small rental house.”

He added “As they were smoking outside their house, unknown assailants of unknown number showered them with bullets. One of them died instantly, while the other one succumbed at the Mandera district hospital, where he had been rushed for treatment by Good Samaritans”

The County police boss said the motive of the killings couldn’t be immediately established; he however noted that it was neither related normal criminal attacks saying that, the assailants escaped without stealing anything from their victims.

Bunie said the attackers managed to escape on foot shortly after killing the two adding that police officers were still pursuing them.

Since the country sent its military into the war-ravaged neigbouring state of Somalia to dismantle the Somali Islamist group, Al-Shabaab grips on power nearly two years ago, bordering Counties of Mandera, Garissa and Wajir have suffered recurrent deadly reprisals grenade attacks, which mainly target non-Somalia communities and security personnel respective of their ethnic backgrounds.

Sources told The Standard that there are about twenty highly trained Al-Shabaab operatives called “Mathax Jebees” (head breakers) dispatched from their command base in Somalia two weeks ago to carry out attacks in Kenya targeting security personnel.

The source intimates in condition of anonymity, the operatives plan to proceed to refugee camps, where they will be hosted by sympathizers’ hiding there on a mission to carry out unspecified grenade attacks in targets in Garissa County and Nairobi.

On Thursday night, two police officers were seriously injured after a hand grenade was hurled into their speeding vehicle, shortly after they raided a local hotel and arrested suspected militia man who was staying at the hotel for unknown reasons.

The two were since flown to Nairobi for specialised treatment.