Garissa June 15, 2023 (SD) -Six police officers from the Kenyan police force were killed in a deadly explosion targeting their patrol vehicle, suspected to be orchestrated by the Somali extremist group Al-Shabaab.

The attack took place in the Garissa region, located in the northeastern part of Kenya, near the border with Somalia, on Tuesday.

“We have lost six police officers in this incident,” said John Otieno, the Police Chief of the North Eastern region.

“We suspect this to be the work of Al-Shabaab, who often target security forces and civilians,” the commander added.

Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight against Al-Shabaab and is now one of the largest contributors to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

As a result, Kenya has experienced several significant terrorist attacks, including the 2013 Westgate Mall attack in Nairobi which claimed the lives of 67 people, and the 2015 Garissa University attack in which 148 people were killed.