TheCable

At least 20 policemen were killed in an ambush by Somali militant group, al-Shabaab, in the north-eastern part of Kenya, on Tuesday.

A police officer, who preferred anonymity, told journalists that the militants bombed five vehicles convoy of Kenyan security forces travelling to the village of Yumbis in Garissa County.

“We still don’t know how many people were killed because several people are still missing,” he said.

The officer said the attack occurred a week after al-Shaabab hit Yumbis, Welmareer and Damajale in Garissa county, but were repelled by the army and police.

He said the militants had returned to seize Yumbis village and Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on Tuesday.

Abdiasis Mus’ab, the group spokesman, said their fighters had carried out a successful operation, killing more than 20 Kenyan police officers.

Mus’ab said the groups have also destroyed five Kenyan police vehicles during the raid, saying that the casualty number could be significantly higher than the figure reported.

Al-Shabaab is demanding the withdrawal of Kenyan troops from Somalia and has repeatedly launched cross-border attacks.