Suspected Shabaab terrorists damage Safaricom mast in Mandera

Suspected al-Shabaab terrorists have damaged a telecommunication mast in Suleka Tinfa area of Mandera South, cutting off communication.

Confirming the incident, Mandera County Commissioner Amos Mariba said the attackers used explosives and guns to destroy the mast.

"A Safaricom mast was destroyed in the night attack and is currently partially damaged. It needs to be repaired for the area to have the normal network," Mr Mariba said by phone.

National police reservists deployed to guard the mast were overpowered by the heavily armed militants who struck at 1am, although Mr Mariba described the security situation in Mandera as relatively good at the moment.

Last week, a public service vehicle from Elwak was sprayed with bullets by suspected militants in the Jabi Bar area along the Elwak-Rhamu-Mandera road, injuring at least two passengers.

On Tuesday, travellers from Mandera to Nairobi using the Moyale route were stranded for hours at Rhamu town in Mandera North following a security scare in the area.

A security source confirmed to Nation.Africa that they had received intelligence reports of a militant ambush along the road.

"We receive security briefings every morning and on Tuesday we were told that the enemy was in the area waiting to attack either a bus or officers on escort duty," said the source.

Asked about the bus incident, Mr Mariba said the delay was caused by mechanical failure of one of the vehicles used to escort the bus.

Problem was sorted

"The armoured police vehicle used for escort duties had a mechanical breakdown which caused the delay of the buses at Rhamu but later the journey continued after the problem was sorted," he said.

Ms Judy Kipkemboi, a passenger, said it was distressing to be left with her children in an unfamiliar area.

"I was shocked when the bus conductor told us that we were staying longer in Rhamu because there was no police escort. I had three children with me," she said.

The bus had secured armed police escort from Mandera town and was to be handed over to another team from Mandera North who would escort it to the Olla area before another team from Banisa escorted it to Takaba town in Mandera West.

In 2015, the government introduced armed security escorts for buses due to an increase in terrorist attacks targeting travellers, mostly non-locals.

The government also banned non-locals from using the Mandera-Lafey-Elwak-Kotulo road, forcing them to use the Mandera-Rhamu-Banisa-Takaba-Moyale road.

The national government has since accused the local community of harbouring militants in the region, but both the governors of Wajir and Mandera counties have denied the allegations.

In Mandera, Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif claims that the locals are doing all they can to help drive the terrorists out of the county.