Suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen raided a border village in Garissa County on Saturday night, hours after targeting a military vehicle with an explosive device.
The militants stormed Bulla-Golol village in Fafi Constituency and ordered a local to take them to a mosque, where construction workers were staying.
North Eastern regional Commissioner Mohamud Swaleh said the 10 criminals who arrived at the village at around 8pm also asked for the direction of the house of the area chief.
"We believe the assailants were asking for the direction of the mosque because there were seven non-local construction workers who were staying at the place and their aim was to possibly harm them", he said.
He said the masons fled after the attackers started shooting indiscriminately from a distance as they headed towards the mosque.
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According to Swaleh, the construction workers were later rescued from a thicket by security officers who responded immediately after the attack on the village which is about 40km from the Somalia border.
The commissioner said early on Saturday, the same attackers targeted a Kenya Defence Forces vehicle, which was heading to Garissa from the Hullugho base, with improvised Explosive Device.
He said the gunmen fled after they were overpowered by military officers in a fierce gunfight.
He said adequate security personnel were deployed in the village and the officers were pursuing the assailants who fled towards Somalia.
