Five government officials were abducted by armed militants linked to the Al-Shabaab terror group on Monday morning in Kenya’s Mandera County.
Mandera South police commander Julius Njeru reported that the five regional administrators; commonly known as chiefs, were travelling when they were ambushed.
Njeri added that the chiefs were on their way to report for duty when the incident occurred.
Mandera County, which shares borders with both Somalia and Ethiopia, has frequently been targeted by Al-Shabaab militants due to its proximity to Somalia. The region’s porous border has enabled armed groups to infiltrate and stage attacks.
Security forces have launched a manhunt for the abducted officials, urging locals to provide any information that could aid their rescue.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group based in Somalia, has carried out multiple attacks in Kenya, particularly in the northeastern region. The group continues to target security personnel, government officials, and civilians in retaliation for Kenya’s military involvement in Somalia as part of the African Union’s peacekeeping mission.