MANDERA, Kenya, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Al-Shabab militants destroyed communication masts at Karo in Mandera in northeast Kenyan border region in the latest attack in the area, affecting communication, officials said on Thursday.
Onesmus Kyatha, Mandera County Commissioner said the Wednesday night attack is the latest such incident targeting communication masts in a series that have happened in the past.
Kyatha said security agencies are pursuing the militants behind the incident.
"They escaped soon after the incident but our security personnel are pursuing them," he said.
Al-Shabab militants usually destroy telecommunication masts to disrupt police response and communication in the area before they could inflict harm on the locals.
The militants have been targeting communication masts, schools and residential houses rented by communities that are not native to the volatile northeastern Kenyan counties of Garissa, Mandera and Wajir.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
More personnel have since been sent to the area and operations by the Border Patrol Unit heightened to tame the surge. Enditem
