Five Kenyan security officers, including four members of the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) and one National Police Reservist (NPR), were killed on Tuesday after their patrol vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) before coming under attack from suspected al-Shabaab militants in Mandera County.
The deadly ambush occurred in the El-Raamo area of Kutulo along the Alungu Main Supply Route, near the Kenya-Somalia border.
According to police, the patrol team was responding to heightened security concerns in the area when the explosion triggered a coordinated assault by heavily armed militants.
According to the security reports, the IED is believed to have been planted several days earlier, with the attackers lying in wait for a passing security convoy.
Following the explosion, the officers engaged the militants in a fierce gun battle, but four SOG officers and the NPR officer were fatally wounded. Several other officers sustained injuries and were later airlifted to Nairobi for specialized treatment.
A reinforcement team dispatched to the scene also encountered an IED after its armoured vehicle was struck by another explosive device, delaying rescue efforts. Despite the attack, no casualties were reported among the reinforcement team, while the assailants fled during the exchange of fire.
Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police Service Gilbert Masengeli later visited the injured officers in hospital as investigations into the attack continued.
The attack comes just days after suspected al-Shabaab militants targeted a Safaricom telecommunications mast at a school compound in Dadaab, Garissa County, and follows another failed assault on Arabia Police Station in Mandera, where officers successfully repelled attackers armed with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy firearms without suffering casualties.
The latest incident highlights the persistent security threat posed by al-Shabaab along Kenya’s border with Somalia despite ongoing counterterrorism operations.
Earlier this month, SOG officers, supported by aerial assets, killed 11 suspected militants during an intelligence-led operation in Mandera, underscoring the continued cat-and-mouse battle between Kenyan security forces and the extremist group.
