At least five police officers were on Friday injured when they were ambushed by al Shabaab militants in Banisa, Mandera county.
Witnesses said the attackers had set an Improvised Explosive Devise on the road which hit a speeding police vehicle.
This caused the vehicle to be badly damaged and burnt. The vehicle was carrying at least 15 police officers moving from Banisa towards Mandera.
This prompted a major police operation in the area with authorities saying they were pursuing the attackers who escaped towards the nearby Kenya-Somalia border.
Deputy Inspector General of police Edward Mbugua said there were casualties on the side of the attackers and a major operation to pursue them was ongoing.
“There was an attack by suspected al Shabaab militants in Banisa this morning (Friday) near the border and an operation is ongoing to get them,” said Mbugua.
He said the officers had multiple injuries but a reinforcement was on the ground to help.
A witness said some of the injured were in serious condition.
The incident comes in the wake of reports the militants were marshaling bases in parts of Mandera and Lamu counties in readiness for attacks against Kenyan officials.
On Tuesday May 18, the group ambushed a Kenya Defence Forces convoy in Baure, Lamu, killing at least five officials.
This prompted an operation there that also led to the dismantling of a sleeper cell the gang had set up in the area.
Last week, the gang also tried to attack a communication mast in Afaat in Wajir county but three of them were killed.
It emerged one of them had worked in the area as a mechanic for long before he vanished to Somalia to join the militants.
Police have been mounting operations in the areas to deter their plans.
The terrorists have been targeting security installations in the area in a series of incidents destroying them.
This has affected among others the education sector, forcing tens of teachers who are non-locals to flee.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by locals.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
Al Shabaab insurgents have been attacking places in the region especially in Mandera and Garissa after breaching security zones, which left dozens of civilians and security officials dead or wounded.
They have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies and attacking them.