MANDERA, Kenya – At least four people were killed and eight others wounded in a roadside blast on Saturday evening in Mandera County near the Kenya-Somalia border, police said on Sunday.
A minibus that was traveling from Mandera to neighboring Wajir County was hit by a bomb set by suspected al-Shabab terrorists, according to a police report on security.
The incident happened amid heightened operations by Kenya’s special forces.
According to local sources, al-Shabab terrorists raided Bamboo West village in Mandera North in the county on Sunday and set several houses on fire. Police said they are investigating claims that the gang kidnapped three people.
Mandera County, which borders the Kenya-Somalia border, is one of the worst affected areas by al-Shabaab attacks.
Kenya’s northeastern region has borne the brunt of grenade and gun attacks over the last several years since Kenya deployed its troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight the al-Shabab group.
The extremist group has since changed tactics and resorted to abductions and using improvised explosive devices to carry out attacks in the border region.
