Nine Police Officers Injured In IED Attack In Hagadera, Garissa County

GARISSA, Kenya March 11 -Nine police officers police officers were on Saturday morning injured after an armoured personnel carrier they were traveling in was hit by a bomb set on the road in Welmerer area, Hagadera, Garissa County.
Police said the officers from the elite Special Operations Group (SOG) were in a convoy of two vehicles when the incident happened.
The SOG is heavily involved in operations against the al shabaab terrorists operating in the larger north eastern region and coastal areas. The attack on them was aimed at slowing their operations, officials said.
Police said the APC was damaged after being hit by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that had been set on the road.
The team was on patrol in the area when the incident happened.
The victims were rushed to a hospital in Hagadera for treatment and later airlifted to Nairobi for specialized medical attention after it emerged they suffered multiple injuries.
No further attack followed as the other officers who were in a second vehicle responded almost immediately.
The area is seen as the main breeding ground for the al shabaab terrorists.

Security agencies have however thwarted dozens of planned attacks and arrested many suspects in operations.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border, which is usually breached by terrorists who attack and escape.
Locals have always been urged to work with security agencies to tame the trend as such attacks cannot happen without their knowledge.

Police say they have upped their operations in the area to tame the plans for the attacks.

The recent attacks have forced the government to suspend plans to reopen the Kenya-Somalia border.