NAIROBI, July 29 (Reuters) - Five Kenyan security officers were killed in a clash with suspected al Shabaab militants in the county of Mandera near the Somali border, police said.
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 law.
"A patrol team from SOG Alungu came into contact with Al-Shabaab militants in the general area of Wantey Dam," police said in a report, following Tuesday's clash around noon.
Police are pursuing the militants, they added, after a reinforcement team sent to the area was hit by an improvised explosive device, which destroyed an armoured vehicle, though no casualties were reported.
Al Shabaab's frequent attacks in the region frequently targets both military and civilians, with police saying in January the militants had killed a local chief and a teacher in the nearby county of Garissa.
(Reporting Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Vincent Mumo Nzilani; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
