MANDERA, Kenya, Aug. 7 – At least six people were wounded in a suspected roadside bomb explosion near the town of El Wak in Kenya’s northeastern Mandera County, authorities said on Friday, in the latest attack in a region frequently targeted by suspected Al-Shabaab militants.
The blast occurred at around 6:00 p.m. local time on Thursday in the Odole area as a Toyota Land Cruiser was travelling along the busy Mandera-El Wak road. The vehicle struck an explosive device believed to have been buried along the roadside.
All six injured victims were taken to El Wak Referral Hospital for treatment. Medical officials said one of the wounded remained in critical condition on Friday morning.
Kenyan police said investigations were underway and stopped short of officially identifying those responsible for the explosion.
The incident comes amid a rise in suspected Al-Shabaab attacks in Kenya’s border counties of Mandera, Garissa, Wajir and Lamu. Security data indicates that at least 25 security-related incidents linked to the Islamist militant group have been reported in the four counties so far this year.
Security analysts say the increase in cross-border attacks may be linked to ongoing military operations against Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia, particularly in Jubaland, arguing that sustained pressure on the group could be prompting some fighters to carry out retaliatory attacks inside Kenya.
Last week, five Kenyan security officers were killed in a suspected Al-Shabaab ambush near Wantey Dam in Mandera County. A reinforcement team dispatched to the scene later struck an improvised explosive device (IED), destroying an armoured vehicle.
Elsewhere, Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers and police reservists have been killed in attacks in Garissa County, while two KDF soldiers died in an IED explosion in neighbouring Lamu County.
Al-Shabaab has also been accused of targeting civilians. In July, suspected militants opened fire on a passenger bus in Mandera, but the driver sped away from the scene, allowing nearly 50 passengers to escape unharmed.
The deteriorating security situation in northeastern Kenya has also raised travel concerns, with the United States recently renewing its travel advisory for parts of Kenya bordering Somalia, citing the risk of terrorist attacks.
