Image copyright Reuters Image caption Al-Shabab have been fighting Kenyan troops because of Kenya's support for the Somali government

At least eight Kenyan police officers have died after their car hit a roadside bomb near the Somali border.

Eleven people were in the car when it hit the device in east Wajir county. The fate of the others is unclear.

No-one has admitted planting the explosives.

Unnamed officials told AFP news agency that the police had been pursuing suspected al-Shabab Islamist militants fighting Somalia's government and its backers, including Kenya.

The al-Qaeda-linked group has been trying to overthrow the Somali government for years.

The insurgents have lost many of their strongholds, including areas of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

However they control large rural swathes of Somalia and continue to wage guerrilla war against local authorities.

Al-Shabab has also carried out several attacks and kidnappings in Kenya, vowing retribution for the country's involvement with Anisom - a 20,000-strong African Union force helping to support the government in Somalia.

In a separate incident, at least eight people were killed by a bomb which exploded at a checkpoint near Somalia's parliament in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab said it carried out the attack and another one on a road leading to the city's airport, in which nobody died. </s> At least 12 Kenyan police officers were reportedly killed after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) near the Somali border on Friday, 15th June 2019.

Kenya officials said those killed on Saturday 15th June 2019 in Wajir County along the border with Somalia, were among 13 police officers who were pursuing extremists who had kidnapped police reservists. 12 of them were killed in a suspected extremist attack, while another is reported to have escaped with serious injuries.

The incident took place between Riba and Konton villages in Wajir east. A senior Wajir police officer who declined to be identified confirmed the incident by suspected al-Shabab militants believed to have crossed over from neighboring Somalia.

“A team of 13 administration police officers were attacked with IED between Riba and Konton and only one survived with serious injuries subject to confirmation of the number of death toll,” said the police officer.

The security officer issued that the killed police officers were allegedly conducting security surveillance along Kenya-Somalia border when the incident happened as militants stormed a local center and abducted three police reservists in the same location two days before the incident.

Witnesses said the police officers were killed when their vehicle ran over the landmine and those who survived were pursued and shot dead.

“A police chopper has been sent to pick the only survivor,” he added.

Somali al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility on Friday for kidnapping three Kenyan police reservists from Wajir, in northeast Kenya near the Somali border.

Al Shabaab said that it also took hostage of several Kenyan police officers and confiscated two motorbikes as well as military equipment.

“Last night, we captured a village called Konton in Wajir County. We left the village and took three Kenyan policemen with us,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, told Reuters by phone, according to France 24.

Kenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the two countries’ shared border since 2011. </s> Kenyan officials say at least 10 police officers are dead after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near the Somali border in a suspected extremist attack.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information, said those killed Saturday in Wajir County were among 13 officers who were pursuing extremists who had kidnapped police reservists.

Police on Friday said an unknown number of gunmen stormed Konton center in Wajir East and kidnapped three reservists.

There was no claim of responsibility for the latest attack. The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group often targets Kenyan security forces, vowing retribution after Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the extremists. </s> A Kenyan legislator says eight police officers have died in his constituency after the vehicle they were travelling in was hit by a roadside bomb planted by suspected extremists.

Ahmed Bashane sent condolences to the families of those who died in the attack in Tarbaj in Wajir County in northeastern Kenya. No group has claimed responsibility for the bomb but suspicion has fallen on Somalia’s extremist group al-Shabab which has carried out a wave of attacks in Kenya since 2011. Al Shabab has vowed retribution because Kenya sent troops to Somalia to fight the group waging an insurgency against Somalia’s weak U.N.-backed government.

Earlier this month six police officers were killed when their truck run over a roadside bomb in Liboi, Lamu County. Authorities blamed al-Shabab for that attack. </s> NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least 10 Kenyan police officers died after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near the Somali border in a suspected extremist attack on Saturday, officials said.

Those killed in the Wajir County blast were among 13 officers who had been pursuing suspected extremists who had kidnapped police reservists, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.

Police on Friday said a number of gunmen thought to be members of the Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group stormed Konton center in Wajir East and kidnapped three reservists.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack. Al-Shabab often targets Kenyan security forces. It has vowed retribution for Kenya’s deployment of troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the extremists after they carried out high-profile kidnappings inside Kenya and hurt the country’s lucrative tourism industry.

In recent months the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab has resumed the abductions.

In April the extremist group kidnapped two Cuban doctors in Mandera County and demanded $1.5 million for their return.

In November an Italian volunteer, Silvia Romano, was kidnapped in southern Kenya’s coastal region by gunmen linked to al-Shabab. She has not been found. </s> NAIROBI, June 15 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb hit a vehicle patrolling near Kenya's border with Somalia on Saturday, killing several of the 11 police officers onboard, the police spokesman said.

Charles Owino told Reuters that he was still awaiting exact casualty figures.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali Islamist insurgents carry out frequent attacks on Kenyan security forces.

Somali al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility on Friday for kidnapping three Kenyan police reservists from Wajir, in northeast Kenya near the Somali border.

"Last night, we captured a village called Konton in Wajir county. We left the village and took three Kenyan policemen with us," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters by phone.

Kenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the two countries' shared border since 2011. The Kenyans, along with allied Somali militia, wrested back control of the territory from al Shabaab after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil. </s> A roadside bomb has hit a vehicle patrolling near Kenya's border with Somalia, killing several of the 11 police officers aboard.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali Islamist insurgents frequently carry out attacks on Kenyan security forces.

Somali al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility on Friday for kidnapping three Kenyan police reservists from Wajir, in northeast Kenya near the Somali border.

Kenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the two countries' shared border since 2011.

The Kenyans, along with allied Somali militia, wrested back control of the territory from al Shabaab after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil. </s> A roadside bomb hit a police vehicle patrolling near Kenya’s border with Somalia on Saturday, killing several of the 11 officers inside, a Kenyan police spokesman has said.

Separately, another blast in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed eight people, according to emergency services. 



Both attacks were claimed by Somali Islamist insurgents who also kidnapped three Kenyan police reservists on Friday from the same area in Wajir district in northeast Kenya.



Kenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the border since 2011. The Kenyans, along with allied Somali militia, wrested control of the territory from al Shabaab jihadists after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil.

Al Shabaab is fighting the weak, UN-backed Somali government and its international allies in a quest to impose strict Islamic law.



Exact casualty figures from Saturday’s patrol attack were still unclear, police spokesman Charles Owino told Reuters. 



In Mogadishu, al Shabaab detonated two bombs. Police said the first blast, at a busy junction known as K4, was a car bomb intercepted by security services that caused no casualties.

The other blast killed eight people and injured 16, said Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Aamin ambulance service. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, said the group was responsible for the blast in Kenya and the two in Mogadishu. </s> Eight police officers patrolling the Kenya-Somali border on Saturday were killed in an apparent al-Shabaab bomb attack along the porous Kenya-Somali border.

Five officers were also injured in the improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the Konton area of northeastern Kenya.

Confirming the attack to Anadolu Agency, a senior police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media said: "All the police officers were in a car patrolling the border, and the five who were injured have been rushed to Wajir hospital."

The officer added that reinforcements have been sent to the area where the attack happened.

Kenyan officials told The Associated Press that 10 police officers had been killed in the attack.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information, said those killed Saturday in Wajir County were among 13 officers who were pursuing terrorists who had kidnapped police reservists.

Police on Friday said an unknown number of gunmen stormed Konton center in Wajir East and kidnapped three reservists.

There was no claim of responsibility for the latest attack.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab terrorist group often targets Kenyan security forces, vowing retribution after Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the terrorists. In 2018, more than 100 Kenya police were killed in separate IED attacks along the porous Kenyan-Somali border.

Meanwhile in Somalia, police said Saturday that nine civilians were executed by a local militia in war-torn Somalia after the killing of a policeman by al-Shabaab.

The revenge attack on Friday just outside Galkayo -- one of the most developed cities in the center of the country -- targeted the Rahanweyn clan, several of whose members are suspected of being al-Shabaab fighters.

"This was a horrible incident, a gruesome killing against nine unarmed innocent civilians in southern Galkayo. All of the civilians belong to one clan and the gunmen shot them dead in one location a few minutes after suspected Shabaab gunmen killed" a policeman, Mohamed Abdirahman, a local police official said.

"This is an unacceptable act and we will bring those perpetrators to justice," said Hussein Dini, a traditional elder.

"Their killing cannot be justified. It seems that the merciless gunmen were retaliating for the security official who they believe was killed by al-Shabaab gunmen belonging to the clan of the victims."

Witnesses told local media that the victims were rounded up from the streets or their homes and then shot dead on the outskirts of Galkayo.

Local officials have in the past fingered the Rahanweyn clan for fomenting instability in the region and supplying fighters to the Shabaab.

The local militia which staged the revenge attack are from the Saad Habargidir, a sub-clan of the Hawiye group which is dominant in the southern part of the city.

Galkayo, situated about 600 kilometers (380 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, straddles the frontier with the self-proclaimed autonomous regions of Puntland and Galmudug.

The city has been the scene of violent clashes between forces of the two regions in recent years and also witnessed violence between the two rival clans occupying its northern and southern districts.
12 Kenyan police officers are killed when their vehicle hits a roadside bomb in east Wajir County, near the Somali border. No one has claimed responsibility, though the police had been pursuing suspected al-Shabab militants fighting Somalia's government and its backers.