Kenya: Suspected al-Shabaab militants ambush two buses

As reported by International Christian Concern (ICC) on 9 June 2021, two buses driving in convoy in northern Mandera have been ambushed by suspected al-Shabaab militants, leaving three dead and several others injured.‚ Among the three killed were two police officers, part of a team of nine guarding the convoy. World Watch Research analyst Yonas Dembele comments: "The northern region of Kenya has for years been an unsafe zone with al-Shabaab targeting Christians and security personnel in this region. Local sources suspect that with this incident, the attackers were looking for non-local Christian travelers who chose to use the longer Nairobi-Moyale-Mandera route to avoid the highly insecure Nairobi-Wajir-Mandera route. The attacks are being made as part of a move to establish an al-Shabaab stronghold on Kenyan soil and punish the Kenyan government for its military involvement in Somalia. The threat that al-Shabaab poses in Mandera County has made it difficult for civilians, especially Christians, to travel, work and live there."