Al-Shabaab raid a construction site in Mandera

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Al-Shabaab militants raided a construction site in Mandera near the Somalia border and burnt down four construction equipment in the latest incursion into Kenya.

The equipment included an excavator, flat roller machine, shift foot roller and a pressure pump.

Police and witnesses said the militants raided the site at dawn Sunday and burnt the equipment. No one was injured during the incident on the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey road as the two guards who were on duty escaped.

The contractor of the road had stalled for long and it is not clear what motivated the incident.

Outgoing North Eastern Regional Commissioner Mohamed Birik said they are investigating the incident. “We are yet to know the motive of the incident and the equipment is valued at about Sh38 million,” he said.

The militants have in the past months been roaming in the area leaving a trail of destruction. There are indications some locals could be aiding the incidents.

The latest incident happened on December 6 when the gang targeted and attacked non-locals who were in a bus in Wajir that was headed for Mandera. The victims were passengers of a bus and were all non-locals. They were flushed out of the bus and shot at close range.

Police say they have since arrested eight suspects in Kenya for allegedly facilitating the incident.