Al-Shabaab militants attacked an ambulance that was racing a patient to a hospital in Elwak, Mandera County on Tuesday evening November 1, 2022.
Police say four people were in the ambulance at the time of the attack.
The four included two paramedics based at Lafey Sub-County hospital, a patient, and the driver of the ambulance who were en route to Elwak hospital for referral services.
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The Al-Shabaab militants crossed the border to Somalia with the four Kenyans onboard the ambulance.
The four were identified as the 40-year-old patient-Moulid Abdi, Hassan Shaaban (driver), Abdirashid Billow Hussein and Aden Dai, both of who are staff at Lafey hospital.
North Eastern police boss George Seda said the incident happened at about 5.50 pm.
He said the victims were driven towards Somalia through Komar Qota near Wante area.
“We have contacted the administration on the other side in efforts to secure the release of the four Kenyans,” he said.
Officials involved in the search are optimistic the abducted Kenyans would be released because they are all local of Somali ethnicity.
Kidnappings
Incidents of Al-Shabaab kidnappings are rife in Mandera county. The abduction of two Cuban doctors in Madera on April 12, 2019, received a lot of international coverage.
Dr. Assel Herrera Correa and Dr. Landy Rodriguez Hernandez, who were working at the Mandera County Referral Hospital, were kidnapped as they were being driven by a local Issack Ibrein Robow.
Rabow was later arrested and charged with facilitating the kidnapping and hostage-taking of the two Cuban doctors.
The two Cuban doctors who were kidnapped in Kenya and held for over a year in Somalia were released by Al Shabaab militants in October 2021 after months of negotiations.
