People cross from Somalia into Kenya at the Mandera border control post. Kenya's borders have hundreds of unofficial entry points that police are working to close. [Bosire Boniface/Sabahi]
By Adow Jubat
Saturday, March 08, 2014
MANDERA, KENYA: Suspected Somalia militia tossed powerful explosives at security border post in Mandera town on Thursday morning sending the town recovering from hand grenades attacks into panic.
Confirming the incident the Police OCPD Mandera East Jackson Rotich, said nobody was injured in the 2am attacks targeting Administration police post located few meters from the Kenya/Somali common border.
The Mandera town police boss told the Standard, security officer who responded to the attacks found the partially exploded bomb barely 50m into the Kenyan soil from the border line.
“Our officers found the bomb just 50m into Kenya from the Somali side,” Said Rotich. He said the motive of the attack has not been established but they highly suspected the attack was aimed at the Border Point police post.
“This bomb was aimed at the Border Point police post where we are having more than thirty officers,” said Rotich.
He said the police have started investigation into the matter but confirmed no one had been arrested. “We are yet to know the magnitude of the bomb since Kenya Defence Forces KDF has stepped in,” said Rotich.
The police boss said “One thing am sure of is that the bomb could have caused a massive destruction if it hit its target.”
He said the police have beefed up security in town and along main entries into the town to curb infiltration of militia men sneaking to harm unsuspecting Kenyans.
The Border point police post is the main post controlling the entry and exit into Kenya and Somali. By the time of going to press the bomb experts from KDF and the anti-terror police were yet to give a report on the magnitude of the bomb that was detonated at no man’s land at the customs offices Kenya-Somali border.
The police have limited time of operations for taxi operators in Mandera town starting from 5am to 8pm since they have accused the taxis of aiding militias to operate within the town at odd hours. “We want the taxis to operate in between 5am and 8pm and this will help us deal with insecurity matters within town,” said Rotich.