Five Kenyan police officers killed in fresh attack by al-Shabab

Five Kenyan police officers have been killed in a fresh attack by the al-Shabab Takfiri terrorist group near the border with Somalia.

Mohamud Ali Saleh, a military official coordinating an operation against the Somalia-based terrorists in northeast Kenya, said Thursday that the officers were targeted while they were traveling in a town on the border with Somalia as part of a larger deployment in the restive region.

“The five police officers killed in the attack were headed to boost the ongoing operation in Liboi,” said Saleh.

Other sources said the vehicle of the officers was targeted by an improvised explosive device (IED).

The Kenya Red Cross said the blast flipped over the green police pickup and tore its rear end off, adding that the incident occurred between Malelei and Kulan in Garissa county.

The attack comes just a day after eight police officers lost their lives in two similar blasts. Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the three attacks.

The Somali-based group has carried out numerous attacks in Kenya over the past years, allegedly in retaliation against Kenya’s involvement in a regional push to purge Somalia from militants.

SS