Two dead, 3 injured in Mandera shooting

Two people were killed and five others injured, including four by-standers, after KDF officers shot at a Probox vehicle in Mandera Town on Monday.

The car is reported to have been ferrying three people; two of whom died on the spot while another sustained serious injuries.

The four include a woman who was hit by a stray bullet while the other three were injured during the scuffle that followed.

The injured were rushed to Mandera County Referral Hospital for treatment.

According to  Mandera County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia, KDF officers shot at the car after hearing the sound of an explosion coming from the vehicle.

However, Governor Ali Roba, who visited the scene of the shooting,  disputed the security report saying there were no obvious signs of an explosion on the vehicle.

Following the incident, irate residents took to the streets to protest the shooting.

This comes even as a major security operation was launched on Monday (December 28) in Mandera County following terror attacks that left two police officers dead at Lafey area on Sunday.

The operation was conducted by a combined team of military and police officers deployed to the region to hunt down the attackers believed to be hiding near the Kenya-Somalia border.

The attack is reported to have happened near Elwak where yet another ambush happened last Monday where Al Shabaab gunmen opened fire on a bus killing two people.

This comes just a day after Deputy President William Ruto called on Kenyans to join forces with security officers in securing the country.

The deputy president said Kenyans should learn from the Mandera bus attack where Muslims shielded Christians from terrorists, saying everyone has a role to play in securing the country.

He further called on Kenyan politicians to focus on uniting Kenyans and to shun divisive politics.

Earlier this week, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett issued an alert over the risk of fresh attacks by Al Shabaab insurgents who have split into rival factions inside Kenya, with some shifting allegiance from Al-Qaeda to the Islamic State.