At least seven police officers have been killed and several others missing in fresh attacks in Turkana county, northwest Kenya, local authorities said on Saturday.
A local police commander said the attack, which took place on Friday night in Kapedo, has left 7 police officers killed and some 20 police reservists missing.
"The renewed attacks took place on Friday night. The police helicopter has been dispatched to the area to help crackdown on the raiders," the police commander who sought anonymity told Xinhua.
Reports say that several police officers and reservists have been missing since Saturday morning after a lorry ferrying a contingent of police officers was attacked on Friday night.
On Oct. 22, armed bandits attacked two vehicles belonging to the paramilitary police and killed 5 people, including three policemen, and also took away their firearms in Kapedo.
Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo and Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro led a high powered team to the area last week, vowing to hunt down those who engineered the attacks.
The team held an emergency meeting with local security personnel and local leaders that resolved to have them work together to ensure that those behind the attack were apprehended.
Tension, however, remains high in the area amid fears of retaliatory attacks. Security officers have also mounted a security operation to flush out bandits who terrorized residents for long.