Five quarry workers were killed and two others injured in an attack by suspected al-Shabaab militants in northeastern Kenya on Tuesday morning, according to a police report.
Around 6 a.m. (0300 GMT), a group of about 10 gunmen, believed to be members of the Somali-based, al-Qaeda-linked group, ambushed a minibus carrying workers near Bur Abor village in Mandera County. The militants ordered the workers to exit the vehicle, demand their phones and ID cards, and then fatally shot those who complied, the police report stated.
The attackers then fled towards the Somali border, leaving behind 13 others who managed to escape into the bush and were later rescued, the report said.
Kenya’s police spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for further details.
Al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government since 2007, aiming to seize control and establish an Islamic state under its strict interpretation of Islamic law. The group frequently carries out cross-border raids into Kenya, which contributes troops to the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.