Five police among eight people killed in Somalia border ambush

The area around where the midday ambush took place. MAP|GOOGLE

CYRUS OMBATI

LIBOI, KENYA: At least eight people, five of them police officers were Tuesday killed in an ambush by unknown assailants along Dadaab-Liboi road near the Kenya-Somalia border.

Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Samuel Arachi said two officers were still missing following the attack and efforts to trace them were ongoing.

The civilians who died alongside the police officers had hiked a lift in the police vehicle.

The officers were on patrol when they came under attack by gunmen who seemed to have been waiting. An unknown number of officers were injured in the attack and efforts to rescue them were underway.

Arachi confirmed the attack saying among those who were in the patrol team was an inspector.

“We have sent a reinforcement following the attack that happened about nine kilometres from the main border. The officers were ambushed while on patrol and we have casualties,” said Arachi.

There were fears the number would rise following the 12 pm incident in which gunmen struck using heavy weapons, officials said.

The deaths are the highest in at least five months.

The attack is said to have taken place in or at an AP camp at Ali Kabey between Liboi and Kulan as the officers drove off.

Police said they were yet to know if the attackers were members of Somalia’s Al Shabaab gang, which of late has been receiving a serious beating from security agencies.

“There is a likelihood these are members of Al Shabaab but our officers will know more,” said a senior officer in the area who asked not to be named.

The incident happened after a long lull of attacks in which security agencies were under attack at least weekly especially last year.

Similar past attacks have left dozens of people, majority of whom are security officers dead.

The attacks started in 2011 after Kenya Defence Forces troops crossed to Somalia to hunt down on the militants who had been blamed on a series of attacks in the country.

The troops have so far managed to unseat the militants from several strongholds sparking several retaliatory attacks like the one in which the officers were killed.