Security personnel at the scene where Mandera Governor Ali Roba's convoy was ambushed on Friday, March 14, 2015. Police detonated two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) near the Mandera border post on Tuesday morning, March 17, 2015.
A bomb exploded in Mandera on Tuesday morning before police detonated two others.
The improvised explosive device went off at Border Point 3 along the Mandera-Somalia border.
Police later recovered and detonated two other IEDs found at the scene after the 10.30 am incident.
“There has been an explosion at Border Point 3 but no injuries nor damages have been reported so far but the police combed the area and found two other IEDs that we have managed to detonate safely,” said Mr Elvis Korir, the Mandera East Deputy County Commissioner.
The explosives, according to Mr Korir, were planted at night by people believed to be from the neighbouring Bula Hawa Town in Somalia.
The explosives appeared to have been targeting police officers on patrol, he said.
“The area is used by our officers who patrol the border and it seems like they were the target only that they had not arrived,” said Mr Korir.
NEW TECHNIQUES
A police officer who participated in detonating the two explosives said the criminals have devised new techniques to attract security teams to a scene.
He said the criminals plant several explosive devices then trigger one to explode, in order to attract people who would be targeted by the subsequent explosions.
“Whenever there is an explosion there must be another behind it and we have discovered the first one is used to attract people and police to the scene and once we get there then the others go off causing injuries and even death,” said the officer who requested not to be named.
Several senior government officials have been in Mandera County in efforts to tighten security, with Mr Victor Okioma, the secretary for security in the Ministry of Interior arriving in the county a few minutes after the explosion.
The Inspector-General of Police, Joseph Boinett, was in the county on Saturday to assess the situation after Governor Ali Roba's convoy was attacked by gunmen a day earlier, killing four people and leaving others injured.
Two more people were killed when gunmen sprayed four mechanics with bullets on Sunday evening while two sustained injuries.
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