10 police officers wounded in roadside blast in Kenyan coast

LAMU, Kenya, June 18 (Xinhua) --

At least 10 paramilitary police officers were wounded on Sunday in a roadside blast in Kenya's eastern coastal county of Lamu, according to a police source.

Officers from the elite General Service Unit (GSU) were wounded when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device suspected to have been planted on the roadside by al-Shabab militants, the police said on condition of anonymity. A response team of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) was also ambushed in the attack.

More than 10 GSU officers were aboard the vehicle while patrolling the area near the Boni forest where a security operation is underway. The al-Shabab militant group is believed to have fighters operating in the forest. However, poor communication network and complex terrain slowed down the operation.

After the blast, the militants came out of the forest and tried to attack the officers. They exchanged fire for some time, said Gabriel Kioni, Lamu West deputy county commissioner, noting that the KDF team was ambushed when it arrived at the scene.

Last week, the al-Shabab militants killed at least 15 security officials in separate attacks in Lamu and Garissa counties. Lamu County has witnessed increasing terrorist attacks in recent years by the al-Shabab militants who have killed dozens of security officers and civilians.