Five Kenyan policemen were killed today in an attack by suspected jihadists near the Somali border, authorities said. The five died when the suspected Shabaab militants raided neighbouring police camps in Lafey town in Mandera County in northeastern Kenya. “We had an attack this morning and we have lost four officers,” said regional commissioner Mohamud Saleh, adding a reservist had also been killed. “A security operation is ongoing in the area,” he added. The area’s communication mast was also destroyed before the attackers escaped towards the nearby border with Somalia. “We suspect Al-Shabaab involvement,” said Saleh. Mandera suffered a spate of Shabaab bombings and attacks last year. The Shabaab is aligned with Al-Qaeda and fighting to overthrow Somalia’s internationally-backed government in Mogadishu. It began launching terror attacks in Kenya shortly after Nairobi sent its army into Somalia in 2011.
