At least five Kenyan security officers were killed on Tuesday after their patrol vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mandera County, in one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in the region in recent months.
The casualties included four members of the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) and one National Police Reservist (NPR).
According to police reports, the officers were on routine patrol along the Alungu Main Supply Route near the Kenya-Somalia border when their vehicle struck the explosive device.
The incident occurred in the El-Raamo area of Kutulo, and the explosion happened before the team came under attack from suspected al-Shabaab militants, which also left some security officers injured, according to police authorities.
Investigations suggest the attack was carefully premeditated. Police say the IED had allegedly been planted around a week earlier, with militants lying in wait for a security patrol before launching the coordinated assault — a tactic consistent with al-Shabaab’s established pattern of ambushing security convoys along Kenya’s northeastern border.
Security reinforcements have since been deployed to the area to pursue the attackers, who are believed to have fled toward the nearby border.
As of the latest reports, no group has formally claimed responsibility, though authorities strongly suspect al-Shabaab involvement given the group’s history of similar operations in the area.
Senior police officials, including DIG Gilbert Masengeli, have visited injured officers receiving treatment in Nairobi hospitals following the attack.
The tragedy underscores the persistent security challenges facing Kenya’s northeastern border regions, where security personnel remain frequent targets of cross-border militant attacks.
Mandera County has witnessed a troubling pattern of IED incidents in recent years, with security forces, police reservists, and civilians all falling victim to roadside explosives planted along key supply routes.
This latest attack renews urgent questions about counter-IED capabilities, patrol route security, and intelligence-sharing along Kenya’s porous border with Somalia, as security agencies continue grappling with an evolving and persistent militant threat.