Kenya police patrol ambush kills five near Somali border

Suspected jihadists ambushed a police patrol in northeastern Kenya, killing five people, including four police officers, local officials told AFP on Wednesday.

The attack happened on Tuesday near Lafey, about 10 kilometres from the Somali border, in Mandera county.

A police report seen by AFP said four officers and a reservist from the elite Special Operations Group were killed during an encounter with suspected fighters from Somalia-based Al-Shabaab while on patrol. Kenyan police spokesman Michael Muchiri confirmed the report was authentic but gave no further details.

Two Mandera county officials, who requested anonymity for security reasons, said the patrol was struck by a blast before coming under gunfire.

Festus Chepkwony, the deputy prefect in the Lafey area, confirmed the attack and said it was believed to have been carried out by Al-Shabaab, though he said he could not independently verify the death toll.

Local officials said militant activity has increased around Lafey in recent months. Kenyan media reported that Al-Shabaab fighters attacked a Special Operations Group camp in Lafey in June and also struck the settlements of Arabia and Fino last week.