Kenyan police said Monday that security has been increased along the border with Somalia after nine officers were injured in a roadside bomb on Saturday.
According to a security assessment, the operation in the area would assist block future assaults in the region, which is prone to cross-border incursions by al-Shabab terrorists.
The increased security measures came only hours after nine police officers were injured when an armored personnel carrier they were deploying for patrol collided with an improvised explosive device in Hagadera, Garissa County.
Police said the policemen from the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) were in a convoy of two cars when the incident occurred Saturday morning. The SOG is mainly involved in operations against al-Shabab insurgents operating in the broader northeastern region and coastal districts.
The attack on the police was intended to stymie their activities, authorities claimed.
The injured cops were transported to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, for specialist care.
The area is regarded as a major breeding ground for al-Shabab terrorists that terrorize the region as whole. According to authorities, security agents have foiled dozens of planned assaults and detained a large number of individuals.
The latest attacks led the administration to postpone efforts to restore the border with Somalia.