Two Police Officers Killed in Suspected IED Attack in Mandera County

Two police officers were killed and two others seriously injured on Wednesday in a suspected improvised explosive device (IED) attack at Kulun Border Point Four along the Mandera-Somalia border, authorities have confirmed.

The deceased officers have been identified as Corporal Mohammed Abdow Issack and Police Constable Abdirashid Shabellow Ali, both serving with the National Police Reserve (NPR) stationed at the remote border post.

In the same incident, a second officer, Athan Noor Abdullah Abdi, was critically injured and is currently undergoing treatment at Mandera Referral Hospital, while fellow officer Abdullahi Jillow Adan was reported to be in stable condition.

According to a police report from Mandera County, the IED exploded approximately 100 metres inside Kenya, targeting officers on duty.

Preliminary assessments indicate the attack may have been retaliatory, possibly involving Somalia National Army elements stationed nearby.

Security teams quickly secured the scene, recovered evidence, and safely detonated a secondary IED that had been planted in the area.

Additionally, arms and equipment at the post were accounted for, and the deceased officers were released for burial according to Islamic rites.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ Anti-Terror Police Unit (DCI ATPU) leading inquiries in Mandera, with the authorities saying that they are working closely to identify the perpetrators and prevent further cross-border attacks.

The North Eastern part of the country and the border counties continue to remain on high alert and under the surveillance of a multiagency team consisting of the specialised units, such as those from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), who continue to keep watch to deter insurgents from entering the country.

Nearly three months ago, Kenya’s elite Special Operations Group (SOG) foiled an attempted terror attack after intercepting eight Al-Shabaab militants who were setting up IEDs in the Welmerer-Yumbia area of Garissa County on October 26, last year.

According to security reports, the militants were in the process of assembling the explosives when the unit received intelligence from members of the local community, prompting an immediate response.

Upon arrival, the SOG officers engaged the suspects in a brief exchange before recovering several IEDs that had already been assembled and planted along the road.

According to the specialised unit, the devices were intended to target civilians and security personnel using the busy Welmerer-Yumbis route.