MANDERA, Kenya, (Xinhua) — At least one person was killed and more than ten others injured when al-Shabab militants attacked two commuter buses in Mandera county of northeast Kenya on Monday.
Rono Bunei, northeastern regional police commander confirmed the ambush which took place between Olla and Sarman area while the buses were headed for Mandera town when the militants sprayed them with bullets.
Bunei said the buses overturned as the driver sped off from the scene of the attack, seriously injuring some of the passengers. The gang escaped to a nearby thicket.
“We have sent reinforcement to the area to pursue the attackers who escaped towards the Somalia-Kenya border. They will be caught,” the police commander vowed.
Witnesses said one commuter bus was stuck in the thicket after being sprayed with bullets. There were no police escorts at the time of the incident.
The witnesses said 12 casualties have been rushed to the local hospital with multiple injuries.
The scene, which is in the northeastern part of the county, has been a safe area since 2013 but has lately been a soft target.
This is the latest incident to happen in the area in a series that is staged by al-Shabab gunmen roaming there.
Mandera’s close proximity to the porous Kenya-Somali border has witnessed numerous attacks from al-Shabab militants that have claimed hundreds of lives.
Source: Xinhua
