By Cyrus Ombati
At least four military personnel were Monday morning injured when a tanker they were travelling in was blown up in an explosion in Mandera Town.
Police said the individuals sustained slight injuries in the explosion that had been set up on the roadside. It exploded as a tanker stepped on the explosive that officials termed as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
A suspect who is believed to have detonated the explosive was immediately arrested few meters from the scene of the incident and is in hospital under police watch.
“The suspect is believed to have detonated the explosive and tried to escape from the scene. He was injured and is under police watch in hospital,” said a senior police officer in Mandera.
The affected tanker was part of a military convoy that was moving through the town at about 9am when the incident happened. Police suspect those behind the latest attack are remnants of the Al-Shabaab militant group operating inside Somalia.
The injured military personnel are said to be in stable condition.
Said another senior officer: “The explosion was powerful than the ones they have been planting here and had it affected any other vehicle things could be bad for now.”
The attack is the latest in a series that have rocked the country since Kenyan troops moved to Somalia to hunt down the terror group last year.
Last week, an Administration Police officer was killed and three others injured in a similar roadside explosion in Dadaab refugee camp as they escorted aid workers.
On Saturday night, two refugees were shot dead in an attack in the camp and two grenades hurled at police officers.
The incident occurred at around 9pm and three hours later, two grenades were thrown at the Ifo police station.
