Three people were killed and ten others were injured on Wednesday when their bus collided with a suspected improvised explosive device planted in the road in Mandera county, Kenya’s northern border with Somalia, according to a government official.
The accident happened on a busy highway, and four of the ten people injured were in critical condition, according to Nicholas Ndalana, the region’s government coordinator.
The bus had left Lafey and was traveling to Mandera city.
“An attack of a bus took place this morning, sad enough we lost three passengers, the bus was completely damaged by an explosive device that was planted on the ground” Ndalana said.
It was unclear who was to blame right away. Fighters from Somalia’s al Shabaab Islamist group have repeatedly attacked the city with bombs and guns over the years.
The Reuters Africa reported that as part of their campaign to compel Kenya to withdraw its forces from Somalia, al Shabaab fighters have killed hundreds in such attacks that have targeted security personnel, schools, cars, cities, and telecommunications infrastructure in the region.
Kenyan troops are part of the African Union-mandated AMISOM peacekeeping mission, which is assisting Somalia’s central government in defending itself against al Shabaab.
