Al-Shabaab kills four Kenyan engineers in Garissa near Somalia border

NAIROBI, Kenya - Al-Shabaab killed four Kenyan engineers in the latest attack using an Improvised Explosive Device [IED] in the northeastern county of Garissa, officials said, in the latest incident that could worry many construction workers along the dangerous Kenya-Somalia border.

Authorities said a convoy of the Kenya National Highways Authority [KeNHA] was attacked on Wednesday by Al-Shabaab while inspecting the Old Lapsset Road in Garissa county. This is the first major incident involving the militants in the northeastern region of Kenya.

According to verified government reports, the engineers, who were on a routine assessment of the road, were traveling in a convoy of three vehicles from Garissa to Hailey Chinese Camp and then on to Bura East sub-county offices.

The suspected Al-Shabaab militants are said to have placed an IED on the road, which was detonated as the convoy passed by. The militants have often used IEDs to target their prey, especially along major roads, and have in the process killed a number of innocent civilians.

The first vehicle, a Toyota Hilux Double Cabin with the registration number KBV 502S, was completely destroyed in the blast. The attack would have been more devastating had the other two vehicles not turned back immediately after the attack to the Hailey camp which is not far from the scene.

While the bodies of three engineers could be easily identified, the fourth person was dismembered beyond recognition according to police reports. The Al-Shabaab militants have scaled down attacks along the border given robust security arrangements in the region.

This is not the first time that the Old Lapsset Road has been targeted by Al-Shabaab militants. In January last year, at least eight vehicles operating at the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport [LAPSSET] highway project were set on fire by suspected Al-Shabaab terrorists.

Al-Shabaab militants are slowly losing influence in Somalia following an ongoing crackdown which has seen the group lose influential towns to the Somali National Army [SNA] which has formidable backing from the US Africa Command, the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS], and the local militia.

GAROWE ONLINE