Suspected Al-Shabaab militants kill Kenyan official in border town

Suspected Somalia Islamists, Al-Shabaab, killed a local Kenyan government official in the border town of Mandera on Monday night.

Regional government coordinator Mohamed Saleh confirmed the incident on Tuesday, saying the militants who struck Omar Jillo village, about 15km from Mandera town killed the area chief before abducting two people from the Kenya Police Reserve (KPR).

"Two police reservists are missing after the attack but we don't know whether they were abducted or are still hiding," Saleh said, noting that the incident took place at around 10.00 PM.

The locals said the gunmen killed the area chief after shooting randomly and later escaped towards the porous Somalia border which is about 10 kilometers away.

Omar Jillo area borders the notorious Khadija Haji village of Somalia where the militia have been implicated in a series of carjacking including khat (miraa) vans as they take cover inside Somalia.

Saleh said security officers have been deployed to the area to pursue the attackers who have been terrorizing Mandera residents for the past one week.

The latest incident comes after the gunmen killed a miner in a quarry in Elwak on Thursday before they also destroyed communication equipment in Amuma area.

"We have sent reinforcements in the area to pursue the attackers and also help restore calm in the area," the government official said. Endit