Kinyuru Munuhe and Judith Kemei @PeopleDailyKe
Four police officers yesterday overcame the trauma of the death of five colleagues, who perished in a terror attack and fought off heavily armed al Shabaab militias and secured the lives of more than 60 passengers in a bus they were escorting.
The officers, who were also injured in the 9am attack, overpowered and repulsed the heavily armed attackers after a 20-minute exchange of fire and safely escorted the passengers to Elwak before calling for reinforcements.
Five of their colleagues died on the spot in an ambush by the militia who hurled a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) at the vehicle the officers were using to escort a bus christened Desert Cruiser from Wajir to Mandera between Kotulo and Chuma Mrefu.
National Police Service spokesperson George Kinoti said the four officers who survived with some injuries were scheduled to be airlifed to Nairobi for specialised treatment. “Security agencies are currently in hot pursuit of the attackers,” he said.
The militants who numbered between 28 and 30, shot at the bus headed for Mandera from Nairobi, before attacking the police vehicle according to area police commander Job Boronjo who added that the militants were well prepared and heavily armed. The attack took place at a place where a passenger bus was attacked last December.
“As I speak now, a joint team of police and KDF have intensified aerial surveillance to track down the attackers,” he said. Meanwhile, another officer was critically injured after bandits sprayed a police convoy with bullets at Arabal area in Baringo county yesterday.
While confirming the incident, Baringo County Commissioner Peter Okwanyo said the officer attached to the General Service Unit was rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital for specialised treatment. The commissioner said a contingent of security officers were ambushed as they cleared barricaded roads on Sunday by hundreds of heavily armed raiders.
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