Crime scene
A middle-aged man was shot dead by unknown assailants on Saturday morning as he made his way to a mosque for prayers at Damasa Shopping Centre in Lafey Sub-County, Mandera County.
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The shooting took place at about 5.10am on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at the trading centre along the Kenya-Somalia border, according to police and witnesses.
The deceased was identified as Mohamud Mohamed Ali, also known as Maalin Guliye.
Witnesses told police that Ali was attacked and shot while heading to the mosque for morning prayers. They said he appeared to have been deliberately targeted.
The assailants reportedly fled towards Damasa, Somalia, soon after the shooting.
By the time of reporting, investigators had not established the motive for the killing.
Police have opened investigations, with detectives expected to identify the attackers and piece together the circumstances surrounding the incident, including the reason Ali was targeted.
His body was processed at the scene before being released to his family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Damasa is among the troubled areas near the main border.
The government has stepped up security operations in the region in response to attacks linked to the al-Shabaab militant group.
The operations have brought relative calm to the wider region.
However, the terrorists continue to exploit the porous border to enter Kenya and carry out attacks despite the heightened security presence.
Their usual targets include government agencies, particularly security personnel.
Dozens of security officers are killed each year in attacks in the area amid the ongoing operations.
The group also uses explosives in its missions.
In a broader effort to counter the threat, Kenya deployed the Kenya Defence Forces to Somalia under Operation Linda Nchi on October 14, 2011, after a series of cross-border attacks and kidnappings raised concerns over the country’s security and tourism sector.
The operation was later incorporated into the African Union peace support mission in Somalia as part of regional efforts to fight al-Shabaab.
Those efforts have contributed to a general decline in terror-related attacks.
