MANDERA, Kenya, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police have stepped up search for the Somali extremists who attacked two camps in northeast Mandera county and stole a huge cache of arms after the two raids in which five police officers were killed.
A police report released on Sunday said the terrorists blamed for sporadic attacks along Somalia border also looted the armory during the attacks, escaping with 16 G3 rifles, 26 AK47 rifles, 5 FN rifles, one F3 rifle, one M60 machine gun, one commando mortar 60mm and one base plate mortar 60mm.
The police report which was released two days after the raid by the Al-Shabaab militants says unknown number of ammunitions were also looted in the incident that left 12 police officers injured.
The police said on Friday they have launched a major manhunt for Al-Shabaab group leader that attacked two police camps in Mandera County.
Police spokesman Charles Owino said Jamaa Nuh Abdille, who fled to Somalia with others after the Friday dawn attack in Fino, was behind the killing of five police officers.
"We have since identified the leader of the group that carried out the attack as Jamaa Nuh Abdille who fled with others after the attack to Somalia and we are hot on their trail," Owino said.
According to police report, the terrorists also destroyed a communication mast in the area affecting communication in general. Preliminary findings show the terrorists used Improvised Explosive Devises and other forms of explosives in the attack.
Northeastern Regional Coordinator Mohamud Saleh said they are pursuing various leads into the attack in efforts to recover the stolen ammunition.
"We have mobilized to ensure the area is safe," Saleh said on Sunday. On Wednesday, security agents repulsed Al-Shabaab terrorists who tried to attack two police stations in Wajir.
Three suspects were arrested after they were chased by security forces from Ijara camps in the failed incident.
Police on the ground said the group had fired into the camps before officers there fired back in an exchange that lasted almost 20 minutes.
The area has been experiencing a rise of terror related attacks in the past months in which almost a dozen communication masts have been destroyed. Ijara police station was also destroyed in a similar attack last month.
