WAJIR, Kenya, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan security forces are pursuing al-Shabab militants who abducted three national police reservists after storming a local center in Wajir county along the Somalia border, officials said on Saturday.
A senior police officer said the heavily armed militants believed to have crossed from Somalia on Thursday evening stormed Konton center in all directions targeting the police reservists and escaped with a motorbike and rickshaw (tuk-tuk) widely used for urban transport.
"Al-Shabab stormed Konton center in Wajir east in all direction targeting national police reservists in the center at around 4:30pm on Thursday. The police reservists fought the al-Shabab who were many in numbers while locals were fleeing the town," said the police who declined to be named.
"The police reservists after running out with ammunition of two magazines ran away. Al-Shabab kidnapped three police reservists and took with them a motorbike and a tuk-tuk belonging to area chief's brother," he added.
He said security operation to rescue the kidnapped police reservists and recover the stolen motorbike and a rickshaw is underway.
The attack happened despite heightened security around the country with security agencies in an unprecedented state of alert.
The attack came two days after Kenya indefinitely closed its border with Somalia in the coastal Lamu region.
The decision was reached as security operations in the area intensified. Border villages and residents have also been banned from cross-border trade.
Lamu County Police Commander Muchangi Kioi said the border which was closed on Tuesday will only remain open to security officers.
Kenya's northeastern region has borne the brunt of grenade and gun attacks in the last several years since Kenya took its troops to Somalia to fight the al-Shabab militia group.
Many people, majority of them non locals have as a result lost their lives with others left with permanent injuries.
