2 police reservists and 5 construction workers killed in road ambush in Mandera

On November 10, a suspected Al-Shabaab ambush in Mandera County, Kenya, resulted in the deaths of eight individuals, including five road construction workers, two National Police Reservists (NPRs), and a local driver. The attack occurred at around 7am Tuesday in the Hagarsu area, approximately eight kilometers south of Arabia Police Station.

The victims were part of a security vehicle escorting an engineering team working on a road construction project managed by the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA). Preliminary reports indicate that the attackers, believed to be Al-Shabaab militants, opened fire on the vehicle, killing all eight occupants. The bodies were transported to the Mandera Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.

Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, condemning the ambush and calling for a swift investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice. The governor emphasized that the victims were dedicated to advancing infrastructure development in the county, making their deaths particularly poignant. The attack is part of a series of recent security concerns in northeastern Kenya, following a string of suspected Al-Shabaab assaults targeting security installations near the Kenya-Somalia border.

In a separate incident earlier in November, militants attacked Hulugho Police Station and the Gesreb Special Operations Group (SOG) Camp, but were repelled with no casualties reported. Another attack on a forward operating base in Mandera County also ended with the militants withdrawing after being engaged by security personnel.