Suspected Al-Shabaab militants are said to have attacked three separate locations in Mandera County in the early hours of Friday morning.
The first attack occurred in the Iresuki area, where militants ambushed police officers guarding a Safaricom mast about 15 kilometres from Elwak Police Station.
“At around 0130 hrs National Police Reservist (NPR) Abdirahman Bashir, who was among those manning Iresuki Safaricom mast, reported via phone call that they had been overpowered by suspected Al Shabaab Militants and that the Safaricom mast was being destroyed,” a police report reads in part.
Attempts to contact Bashir on the same number he used to raise the alarm soon proved futile. According to the police report, his colleagues were also unable to be reached by phone. Their current whereabouts are unknown.
At the same time, Al-Shabaab militants reportedly besieged Wargadud Police Station.
“In a bid to establish the facts, KDF stationed at Elwak also confirmed that at about that same time, they were attacked at their camp by suspected Al Shabaab militants,” said the police report.
“Consequently there is loss of network between Elwak and Wargadud police stations.”
To determine the extent of the attacks, investigations into the separate but seemingly coordinated incidents are currently underway.
It is unknown whether any police or KDF personnel were injured or killed during the incidents.
