Garissa: 9 Police Officers Wounded in IED Attack Linked to al-Shabaab
- A group of police officers were involved in a tragic accident while on patrol in Garissa county, leading to nine injuries
- Images taken after the incident confirmed the severity of the accident, which attracted a quick response from emergency teams
- Authorities launched an investigation into the circumstances of the event as insecurity fears grow in the region following frequent attacks
- The accident occurred just weeks after similar attacks took place in Lamu and Mandera counties
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Nancy Odindo, a TUKO.co.ke journalist, has over four years of experience covering Kenyan politics, news, and features for digital and print media.
Garissa: Nine police officers sustained injuries on Tuesday, August 5, after their armoured vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Kiwanja-Yumbis area of Fafi sub-county.
Source: Getty Images
The explosive is suspected to have been planted by al-Shabaab militants, marking yet another attack in the volatile region.
Who were the injured police officers?
According to a report by the Daily Nation, Garissa County Commissioner Mohamed Mwabudzo confirmed the tragic incident.
The officers, who are attached to the Border Patrol Unit (BPU), were travelling approximately 10 kilometres from Yumbis town when the explosion occurred.
They were immediately evacuated and taken to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) hospital at Hagadera refugee camp for treatment. No fatalities were reported.
Security forces quickly responded to the scene and secured the area.
Images from the blast site showed the armoured vehicle engulfed in flames and overturned, reflecting the severity of the explosion.
Source: Facebook
This latest attack underscores the ongoing threat posed by the Somalia-based al-Shabaab group, which continues to target Kenyan security personnel through roadside bombs, ambushes, and cross-border incursions, especially in areas near the porous Kenya-Somalia border.
The attack occurred just weeks after a similar incident took place in Lamu and Mandera.
What happened to officers in Lamu and Mandera?
The Lamu accident left three Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers dead and seven others injured.
The explosion occurred in the Badaah area on the Kiunga-Sankuri Road as soldiers returned from transporting officers to Sankuri.
Meanwhile, in Mandera, seven police officers were injured after their vehicle struck an IED along the Gadudia-Laga Road in Mandera East.
The officers were on routine patrol, travelling from Bambo towards Mandera town, when the explosion occurred between Aresa and Khalalio, approximately four kilometres west of the Mandera Police Station.
5 people killed in Gilgil multi-vehicle accident
In other news, five people were confirmed dead following a tragic road accident involving multiple vehicles along the Nakuru-Eldoret Highway at the Mbaruk area in Gilgil.
According to Nakuru County Traffic Enforcement Officer Allan Ogolla, the crash involved a trailer, a saloon car, a Mercedes-Benz, and a Toyota Fielder.
Preliminary investigations indicated that the Toyota Fielder was attempting to overtake several vehicles when it collided head-on with an oncoming saloon car before crashing into the trailer.
All five victims were reportedly occupants of the Toyota Fielder, and authorities suspected they were members of the same family.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
