Five quarry workers were killed and two others injured in a brutal ambush early Tuesday morning in Kenya’s northeastern Mandera County, near the Somali border. Authorities suspect the attack was carried out by militants from the Somalia-based extremist group Al-Shabaab.
According to local police, the workers were traveling in a minibus around 6 a.m. near Bur Abor village when they were intercepted by an estimated 10 armed men. The attackers, believed to have crossed from Somalia, forced the passengers out of the vehicle and demanded their mobile phones and identification cards.
“Victims were shot while lying on the ground,” the police report stated, noting that the assailants fled toward the Somali border after the attack. Thirteen other workers managed to escape into nearby bushland and were later located by rescuers.
The deadly assault underscores the persistent threat posed by Al-Shabaab, which has waged a long-running insurgency against Somalia’s federal government and often carries out cross-border raids in Kenya. Mandera County, due to its proximity to the Somali frontier, has repeatedly suffered such attacks.
Kenyan security officials have launched a manhunt in the border region, though no immediate response was issued by the national police spokesperson.
Al-Shabaab has been engaged in armed conflict since 2007, aiming to overthrow the Somali government and impose its version of strict Islamic law. Kenya remains a key partner in regional efforts to contain the group, contributing troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
The incident adds to rising security concerns in Kenya’s northeastern counties and highlights the challenges of securing remote border areas vulnerable to infiltration.