Six police personnel were killed and four others injured in a pre-dawn ambush near the Kenyan-Somali border on Sunday. The attack occurred at 05:30 local time (02:30 GMT) when assailants stormed a police base in the region, according to Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the assault, Mwabudzo stated that the style of the attack bears the hallmark of raids conducted by the Somali-based Islamist militant group al-Shabab. The officers were reportedly preparing for their morning prayers when they were ambushed.
“The style of the attack, with its guerrilla tactics, is consistent with al-Shabab’s cross-border raid strategies aimed at destabilizing this region,” Mwabudzo told the BBC. He also confirmed that the attackers used a variety of weapons to overpower the camp, which was housing reservists—local volunteers who support regular police in securing remote and vulnerable areas.
In addition to the six officers who lost their lives, four others were critically injured and have been transported to a local hospital for medical treatment. The attack follows a pattern of frequent cross-border assaults by al-Shabab, which has regularly targeted Kenyan military and civilian populations, particularly in the northeastern counties near the Somali border.
Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has been waging a long-standing insurgency against the Somali government for nearly two decades. The group controls significant territories in southern and central Somalia, from where it has launched numerous attacks against both Somali and international targets.
Kenya has been on high alert following the recent increase in al-Shabab’s activities, including suicide bombings, ambushes, and other violent actions. The group’s attacks have also escalated in frequency since Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia in 2011, when Kenya sent troops as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to fight the militants.
Local authorities are currently investigating the attack, and additional security forces have been deployed to the area to search for the perpetrators and prevent further escalation. Despite ongoing efforts to secure the region, al-Shabab continues to operate in the border area, exploiting the difficult terrain and the limited presence of security forces to carry out their insurgent operations.
The Kenyan government has vowed to continue its fight against the militants and strengthen security along the porous border, although the growing insurgency and the remote location of many affected areas present significant challenges.
