Five Kenyan security officers were killed in an exchange of fire with al-Shabaab militants in the country’s Mandera county near the Somali border, police said on Wednesday.
al-Shabaab attacks in the region frequently targets both military personnel and civilians, with police saying in January the militants had killed a local chief and a teacher in nearby Garissa county.
Police said the casualties among the Kenyan border guards comes as soldiers pursue the militants to exact revenge over earlier attacks.
According to the police, a reinforcement sent to the area was ambushed by al Shabaab using improvised explosive device, which destroyed an armored vehicle.
No casualties were reported in that incident.
The militant group has been battling for years to overthrow Somalia’s central government and establish its rule in the Horn of Africa country, based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic sharia.
Meanwhile, an extraordinary three-day summit is to be held on Thursday by countries contributing troops to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM).
Regional leaders are seeking to chart the future of the mission and Somalia’s long-term security transition.
The meeting was preceeded by a gathering of chiefs of defense forces from troop-contributing countries.
Defence ministers are scheduled to meet on Thursday, followed by a summit of presidents and heads of government on Friday.
The summit brings together leaders and senior officials from Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Egypt.
Representatives from the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) will be attending.
MG/as/APA