Yesterday, Al-Shabaab destroyed Safaricom and Orange telecommunication masts in Mandera County.

According to the County Commissioner Fredrick Shisia, the armed gunmen overpowered five Kenya Police Reservists (KPR) who had been deployed to guard the masts. On Monday, the militia also damaged another Safaricom mast at Dabacity.

Residents are now living in fear, saying that the destruction of the communication posts is an indication of an impending attack.

In July this year, four people were left injured when Suspected Al-Shabaab militants raided Fino Town in Mandera County destroying a communication mast and engaged police officers in a shootout.

Al-Shabaab-linked terror attacks continue in Kenya

The militia has constantly launched attacks in the North Eastern County with the recent incident being in October this year, where they raided Bisharo guest house and killed 12 people. Earlier the same month Al-Shabaab killed six people in an attack in a residential plot in Bulla public works in Mandera town.

Since Kenya sent its troops to Somalia under operation “Linda Nchi”, Al- Shabaab has continued to issue public threats and executing others with the most horrific being the April 2015 Garissa university attack that left 147 students dead. The militia has maintained that it will continue attacking Kenya till the president withdraws KDf from Somalia.

In 2014 November, 36 people were killed when Al-Shabaab attacked a quarry at Koromei, about 10 km from Mandera town.

In December the same year, the militia killed 28 people following an attack on passengers traveling to Nairobi on a bus in Mandera County near the Somali border.