2 Kenyan officers killed in al-Shabab bomb attack near Somalia border

NAIROBI, Kenya

Two Kenyan Border Patrol Unit officers were killed Wednesday after their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by Somalia-based al-Shabaab terrorists along the Liboi-Kulan road in northern Kenya, police said.

The attack occurred near the Kenya-Somalia border in Garissa County, a region about 370 kilometers (230 miles) northeast of the capital Nairobi.

Police officials who spoke to reporters said al-Shabaab operatives had planted and detonated the device as the officers were on patrol, destroying their vehicle and killing both officers on the spot.

Security teams were deployed to secure the area where the militant group continues to target security personnel and disrupt border patrol operations.

Images from the scene show a shredded patrol vehicle flipped on its side, twisted metal scattered across the sandy road, and a large crater believed to be the blast point, officers could also be seen combing through the debris.

Kenya has faced repeated al-Shabaab terror attacks since it deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 under the African Union Mission, now the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

The terrorist group often carries out cross-border ambushes, roadside bombings mainly targeting border police patrols and raids on remote police posts, seeking to pressure Kenya into withdrawing its forces.

Garissa, Mandera and Wajir counties, bordering Somalia, remain the most affected, with al-Shabaab exploiting porous frontiers, limited road infrastructure and remote terrain to stage attacks.

Despite intensified patrols and increased surveillance, Kenyan authorities say Al-Shabaab continues to pose a persistent threat, particularly through roadside IEDs, which have killed dozens of security officers over the past decade.