At least six police officers were killed and four others injured in an attack on a police camp by suspected Islamist militants in Garissa County, near Kenya’s border with Somalia, police reported Sunday.
Authorities said the assault was carried out by suspected fighters from Somalia’s al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group.
The attack began at dawn when militants stormed a camp housing police reservists and “used assorted weapons to overrun the camp,” according to the police report.
“Six fatalities have been confirmed, with four injured and receiving treatment at the hospital,” the report added.
Following the attack, the U.S. embassy issued a travel advisory on Tuesday, warning American citizens against traveling to parts of Kenya, including Garissa and other counties near the Somalia border, due to the heightened threat of terrorism.
Al Shabaab has waged an insurgency for years, aiming to overthrow Somalia’s central government and impose its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law. The group has frequently launched cross-border attacks in Kenya, targeting security forces and civilians.
