FIVE KILLED IN MANDERA BUS AMBUSH

By Adow Jubat

Five people were killed and scores of others sustained injuries, after a passengers bus plying between Mandera – Nairobi route was gun ambushed by heavily armed assailants on Friday morning.

                                        Tawak Bus

The attackers of unknown number who were armed to the teeth ambushed two buses, which were heading to Mandera from Nairobi at area between Wargadud and Elwak at about 10.30 am a senior government official has confirmed.

The Northeastern regional commissioner Amb Mohamud Saleh said the assailants, who could be a local militia according to preliminary investigations waved two buses which were moving in a convoy to stop.

He said the first bus, Tawakal express defied to stop and managed to speed off from the reach of the bandits forcing the criminals to indiscriminately open fire at the second bus- Ecoach bus services.

“The attackers waylaid the buses at a road junction and they attempted to stop the first bus, the driver defied to stop. They started shooting at the second bus which was few minutes behind the first one. Five people were killed at the scene”, He said.

The regional commissioner said scores of people were also injured in the incident, after the bus veered off the road after the driver lost control forcing the bus to land on road side ditch.

“We suspect the attack is an act of clan militia operating within the area. Unless proven otherwise this is not the work al-Shabaab or any foreigner bandits since the area where the incident occurred area is far from the Somalia/Kenya border, where terror attacks usually happens”, Added the regional boss.

Saleh said there is emerging tendency by the local people to quickly attribute any criminal incidents to al-Shabaab so that to divert attention of the security personnels always from the local criminals, who could have hand in some of the banditry activities witnessed in Mandera County.

“We suspect this attack is could be the work of clan bandits, local criminals or people hired to settle scores on a business rivalry between the buses companies. The area where attack has happened is interior, and the assailants are criminals who seemingly know the terrain adequately”, He noted.

                                      Ecoach Bus

“We are investigating many angles to this incident. We know there is business rivalry between the two bus companies plying the Mandera-Nairobi route. There is also an issue of clan militia marauding the area where the attack has occurred”, Amb Saleh.

The regional commissioner said all exit and entry points of the border has been sealed off to ensure the attackers will not have a safe exit adding that a contingent of security personnels were deployed along the Kenya/Somali border.

He said aerial surveillance were also been used to ensure that the attackers are brought to book.