At least five Kenyan police officers have been injured after a vehicle they traveling in was hit by Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in an area near Kenya’s border with Somalia.
According to police, the officers were from the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU).
Ijara Deputy County Commissioner Willy Cheboi said the officers were heading to Sangailu from Masalani when the explosion happened.
“Our officers encountered an incident of an explosion along the Ijara Sangailu road and all the victims were rescued and taken to Manda Bay for medical attention,” Mr Cheboi said by phone.
He said the five officers were escorting a government official to Hulugho.
“An officer from the National Council for Nomadic Education had requested for security escort towards Hulugho only for the officers to be hit by an explosive along the way,” he said.
According to Mr Cheboi, the police vehicle was partially damaged, a sign that the explosive was detonated prematurely.
Only the front part of the Toyota Land Cruiser was damaged by what the security agencies believe was a homemade bomb.
“Despite the injuries sustained by the officers, the device only hit the front part of the vehicle, a sign that it was prematurely activated,” he said.
