MANDERA, Kenya, March 13 (Xinhua) -- At least three people were killed and eight others critically injured when Al-Shabaab assailants attacked the convoy of Mandera County Governor Ali Roba on Friday.
Two police officers and a civilian died when assailants attacked the convoy on Arabia-Omar Jilo road, a few kilometers from where 28 people were killed in November 2014.
However, the governor who has survived a series of similar attempts on his life, escaped unhurt, local government officials said.
Mandera East Deputy County Commissioner Elvis Korir said the militia used rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) to hit at the governor's security convoy, trailing the governor who survived series of a similar past attempts on his life.
"The governor's vehicle had just passed the scene of the attack few minutes to the happening of attack on the security officers escorting him to an official function at Wargadud," Korir said.
The government administrator said the latest attack, which occurred along Fino and Lafey road at 9:00 a.m. local time, a section which is prone to recurrent ambushes by armed Somali militia, also left eight others with different degree of injuries.
The road is prone to militia attacks because of its proximity to the war-scarred Somalia. The militia usually launches incursion along the porous Kenya/Somalia border stretching less than 5 kilometers from the Mandera- Fino- Arabia- Lafey road.
According to the security officials, the injuries occurred as results of the impact of hand grenade lobbied at the victims' vehicles. Three out of the eight casualties are in serious conditions.
Those who were killed and injured were in governor's convoy headed to Wargadud in Elwak where he was to hold a public function later in the day.
The vehicle went up in flames due to the impact of the grenade where the three dead were burnt beyond recognition.
The militias disappeared towards Somalia porous border shortly after the attack escaping with two vehicles in ill-fated convoy, one belonging to the county government and a van ferrying miraa to Mandera town.
Korir said a contingent of security officers including the regular police; the administration and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have been dispatched to the area to pursue the assailants to their hide outs.
Local government officials were making plans to airlift the injured to Nairobi.
The attacks comes barely a day after one of the masterminds of Westgate shopping mall attack was reported killed in a U.S. drone raid in Somalia on Wednesday.
