NAIROBI, Kenya
A local official in north-eastern Kenya says at
least 10 people are dead after their vehicle ran over an explosive device on a
highway Monday morning.
North Eastern regional commander George Seda said
the blast occurred outside Mandera town. It was not clear how many people were
in the vehicle. Witnesses said the toll could rise because others had serious
injuries.
Police suspect the explosive device was placed by
al-Shabab extremists operating in the area after crossing from nearby Somalia.
The extremists are often blamed for such attacks in the border region,
targeting both security forces and civilians.
A police report on Monday’s blast said the attackers fled toward the border.
One suspect has been arrested in connection with
the explosion.
Confirming the arrest, North Eastern region police
boss Bunei Rono said the unnamed individual was being questioned by detectives.
According to the police, the attack was carried out
by a gang of six.
“On Monday January 31, 2022, around seven in the
morning a civilian vehicle plying Mandera-Arabia road was attacked with an IED.
It happened approximately 8kms from Mandera town. The attackers numbering
around six then reinforced the IED attack with AK47 rifles. A GSU patrol team
which was on foot and close to the area responded immediately,” reads a police
report seen by the Nation.
A similar incident happened in the same location last year in March 2021, after a bus ran over an IED killing several people dead.
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