Eight Killed in Ambush on Road Construction Team in Mandera

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MANDERA: At least eight people, including road construction workers and police reservists, have been killed after armed attackers ambushed a security vehicle escorting a construction team along the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey road in northeastern Kenya.

The attack occurred on Tuesday morning in the Koromey area near Hagarsu, where the vehicle was accompanying engineers and other personnel working on the road project.

Mandera County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa confirmed the attack, saying security reinforcements had been deployed to pursue the attackers.

Preliminary police reports indicate that five engineers working on the road project and two Kenya Police Reservists assigned to protect the construction team were among those killed. The driver of the security vehicle, who was critically wounded, later died while being rushed to Mandera County Teaching and Referral Hospital.

Seven victims were reported dead at the scene before the driver succumbed to his injuries.

The attackers are suspected to be Al-Shabaab militants, although no group had claimed responsibility for the ambush by Tuesday.

The attack highlights the security risks facing infrastructure projects in Mandera, a county bordering Somalia that has experienced repeated attacks blamed on suspected Al-Shabaab militants.

The Mandera-Arabia-Lafey road is an important infrastructure project intended to improve transport and connectivity in the border region. The latest attack is likely to raise fresh concerns over the safety of construction workers and security personnel operating in the area.