Gunmen kill cop, rob him and colleague of rifle

A group of gunmen believed to be rogue members of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) shot and killed a Kenyan police officer in a surprise attack at a border point in Mandera.

NISA is the national intelligence agency of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

Police said five officers from the Border Police Unit manning the Kenya - Somalia boarder at border point 4 were attacked by about 20 NISA officers.

The group opened fire at the Kenyan team killing constable Dennis Omari instantly in the Friday, March 14 incident.

They also shot and injured a second officer.

He was injured in the left upper hand and is currently being treated at Mandera Referral Hospital and in stable condition, police said.

This forced the other officers to take cover.

The attackers grabbed the deceased officer’s G3 rifle which had 60 bullets and an AK47 rifle with 30 bullets belonging to another cop.

They fled the scene. Police later said the motive of the attack was revenge for the previous arrest of terror suspects where a group tried to abduct Chinese nationals in the town last month.

Police said the attack was coordinated by a brother of one of the suspects who is a NISA officer. Somalia is yet to comment on the issue.

Senior police officers visited the scene as part of the probe into the attack.

Tension mounted in the area amid fears of more attacks by the rogue gang.

Police authorities said they are addressing the issue and vowed justice for the attack.

Following the failed abduction, anti-terrorism detectives drawn from the Mandera detachment arrested the Assistant Chief of Bula power sublocation in Mandera Township in connection with his alleged involvement in an attempted and illegal processing of Kenyan IDs in favour of two foreign nationals cum terror suspects.

The suspect identified as Isack Mohammed Abdi and Noor Yakub Ali were arrested in a failed abduction plan targeting Chinese nationals in the town on February 18.

The administrator Yussuf Maalim Issak is suspected to have facilitated the procurement of an acknowledgement for registration slip /ID waiting card for the terror suspects who were arrested while planning the abduction of a team of foreign nationals engaged in the construction of a sewer line in Mandera town.