Two National Police Reservists (NPRs) and five civilian construction workers have been killed after armed men ambushed a team overseeing the construction of the Arabiya-Lafey Road in Mandera County.
The attack occurred on Tuesday at around 7AM in the Hagarso area, where the team was supervising the ongoing road construction works.
Confirming the incident, Mandera County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa said a multi-agency security team had been deployed to pursue the attackers and establish the circumstances surrounding the attack.
The operation involves officers from the General Service Unit (GSU), Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), Police Tactical Unit (PTU), regular police, Administration Police and National Police Reservists.
Ndiwa said the motive and identity of the attack had not been established, although security agencies suspected the involvement of Al-Shabaab militants.
The police commander said the number of attackers was also unknown as security officers continued with efforts to track them down.
He appealed to members of the public with information that could help identify those responsible to report to security agencies.
