AP officers kill 20 suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen who ambushed them

Police officers from the Special Operations Group managed to foil an ambush by suspected terrorists at Ogorwen, Mandera county. 

According to a statement from the National Police Service, the attack happened on Wednesday, July 5, 2023.

During the heavy gunfire exchanged, the police who were on patrol fatally shot 20 gunmen and recovered assorted weapons.  

Eight officers sustained injuries.

“As a Service, we commend our Officers for their dedication to duty, and reiterate our commitment to enhancing national security,” a statement from the NPS read in part. 

The attack comes on the backdrop on increased terrorist activity in areas near the Kenya-Somalia border. 

Due to the deterioration of the security situation, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said that the government had halted the phased reopening of the Kenya-Somalia border. 

“The governments of Kenya and Somalia commenced a plan to reopen our borders in Mandera, Liboi, Kiunga and other parts.

“We will not turn back on the plan but for now, because of the increase of attacks within the last one or two months, we shall put it on hold. Let us deal with these terrorists, get rid of them and then we will open the borders,” CS Kindiki said.

A series of attacks that have claimed the lives of 20 people has prompted the country to step up its surveillance along the Kenya-Somalia border.

The reopening was to be done in phases, starting with Bula Hawa in Mandera in 30 days, followed by Liboi in Mandera in 60 days, and Ras Kamboni in Lamu in 90 days.