AL-Shabaab suspects hijack vehicle, kidnap official at Kenya's border

Suspected Al-Shabaab gunmen on Thursday hijacked a vehicle and kidnapped a local government administrator in Mandera County along the border with Somalia, police said.

Mandera County Police Commander Job Boronjo said the gunmen hijacked the van which was ferrying khat in the morning.

"We are rushing to the scene. We have not have established the motive behind the incident but we will provide more information later," Boronjo said, adding that security agencies are pursuing the militants.

Officials said the attackers seemed to know the area and the local administrator well. The chief was headed for Mandera Town when the attack happened. No recovery has been made so far.

The latest incident comes a week after the militants hijacked a commuter vehicle with 12 people on board in Mande country near the border. The vehicle was en route to Somalia when it was ambushed on April 16.

The East African nation shares a porous border with Somalia and many times the insurgents have carried out cross border incursions where they abduct people for ransom.

Several civilians including policemen have been killed especially in the northern counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera which are near the border with Somalia.

In November last year in the same route, the militants also ambushed a Nairobi-bound bus, killing 28 non-Muslim passengers and sparked mass exodus of civil servants from Mandera.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the two attacks in Mandera. Nkoyo appealed to road users to opt for the 'safer' Mandera-Rhamu road instead of the Lafey one which is closer to the Somalia border. Endi