Eight cops in hospital after an IED attack in Wajir

The police car hit by an IED in Wajir/HANDOUT

At least eight police officers were injured after their vehicle was hit by a bomb in the Khorof Haraar area of Wajir County.

The incident happened on December 17 night between Khorof Haraar and Konton, police said.

The vehicle was hit by an improvised Explosive Device (IED), police said, adding it was a powerful one and that they were lucky to be alive. A joint team of police from the Special Operations Group, those from the Border Patrol Unit and those from Kotulo were on patrol on the route following reports there were al Shabaab militants operating there.

Police said the team was on board two vehicles, including an Mrap and DCD vehicle. The DCD vehicle that was leading ran over an improvised Explosive Device that had been set up on the road, badly damaging it.

It was dismembered by the impact leaving the eight officers with multiple injuries, police said. The other vehicle that was trailing it stopped and helped to evacuate the injured to hospital.

The police car hit by an IED in Wajir/HANDOUT

The police said the incident happened at night, giving an indication the terrorists may have had prior information on the movement. The injured were rushed to hospital in serious condition, police said.

Another team combed the area in vain. Al-Shabaab terror group has been staging attacks in parts of the Kenya-Somalia border targeting security agents.

The police car hit by an IED in Wajir/HANDOUT

The gang has also been planting bombs on the roads targeting vehicles carrying security personnel. The area is under the multi-agency security operation and is near the Kenya-Somalia border. The multi-agency operation seeks to flush out the militants from the. This has seen a significant reduction in such incidents.

The area has been facing an increase in terror-related attacks. This is among other things because of its proximity to the Somali border.

The border areas of Mandera, Wajir, Lamu, and Garissa too have faced similar attacks that have affected development at large.

An engne from the police car hit by an IED in Wajir/HANDOUT

The government says they have acquired more resources to enhance operations in the border area against the terrorists. The attacks have left many dead and displaced, hence affecting development.

The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border, where the terrorists cross at will for attacks before retreating to their areas of control. Kenya has been staging operations to tame their activities