At least eight people, including police officers and road construction workers, were killed in an ambush targeting a security vehicle escorting workers along the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey Road project in Mandera County.
The attack occurred on Tuesday morning at Koromey, near Hagarsu along Arabia Road, where armed assailants reportedly opened fire on a security vehicle accompanying engineers and other staff working on the road construction project.
A senior police officer confirmed the attack and indicated more personnel had been sent to the area to pursue the gang.
Preliminary police reports indicate that five of those killed were engineers involved in the road construction works, while two were Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) attached to the security team providing protection to the workers.
The driver of the security vehicle was initially reported to have sustained critical gunshot injuries and was rushed to Mandera County Teaching and Referral Hospital (MCTRH).
Subsequent reports indicated that he succumbed to his injuries while being rushed to the facility.
The attackers are said to have specifically targeted the security escort accompanying the construction team, raising fresh concerns over the safety of workers involved in infrastructure projects in the volatile region.
Security agencies were yet to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border which is usually breached by the al Shabaab terror gang for attacks in Kenya.
The Mandera-Arabia-Lafey road project is a key infrastructure undertaking in the region, with the latest attack highlighting the security challenges facing construction teams operating in areas prone to armed attacks.
Tension has been rising in the area amid fears of attacks by the terror group.
At the weekend, the militants simultaneously attacked Hulugho Police Station and a multi-agency security camp in Garissa County in an overnight assault.
The attacks occurred at around 1.20am on November 7, 2026, targeting Hulugho Police Station and the Gesreb SOG Camp in Hulugho Sub-County.
According to police, three suspected militants fired three rounds from an AK rifle towards Hulugho Police Station from the northern direction.
At the same time, the Gesreb SOG Camp, which hosts a multi-agency security team, came under sustained gunfire from a PKM machine gun fired from the southern direction.
Security personnel at both installations swiftly responded to the attacks, successfully repulsing the assailants and thwarting their attempts, police said.
No casualties or damage to property had been reported in the initial incident report.
And security forces stationed at Damasa Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Mandera County repulsed an attempted attack by six suspected al-Shabaab militants who were spotted approaching the camp’s defensive position.
The incident occurred at around 10.30pm after security personnel detected the suspected militants near the Kenya-Somalia border using a drone.
According to police, the six suspects were identified approaching the defensive position, prompting security personnel to engage them using indirect fire.
The militants reportedly responded with gunfire from AK-47 rifles and a PKM machine gun before withdrawing from the area.
No casualties were reported during the exchange.
Security agencies have since intensified surveillance around the camp and its surrounding areas, with the situation reported to be calm.
The incident comes amid heightened security vigilance in the border region, where security forces continue operations against suspected al-Shabaab militants.
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