by Diana Imanene Sunday July 26, 2026
File image of a communications mast File
Nairobi (AX) — Suspected al-Shabab militants struck Abakaile village in Kenya’s Garissa County, targeting a telecommunications mast before escaping, local reports said.
The assailants allegedly tried to destroy or uproot the mast, while a teacher was reported missing following the attack. Security agencies have opened an operation to pursue the militants and locate the missing teacher.
Authorities have yet to determine whether the militants abducted the teacher or whether the educator became separated from others while fleeing the assault.
Security personnel were deployed to investigate the attempted destruction of the communications infrastructure and determine the teacher’s whereabouts.
Neither the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) nor the National Police Service (NPS) had released an official statement about the incident by the time of publication.
The raid followed another suspected al-Shabab attack days earlier in neighbouring Mandera County, fuelling concern over renewed militant activity against civilians and critical infrastructure along Kenya’s border with Somalia.
On Friday evening, July 24, suspected al-Shabab militants assaulted the Fino security camp in Mandera County, near the Kenya-Somalia border. Police officers exchanged fire with the attackers and forced them to withdraw before they could inflict further damage.
A student suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach during the Mandera assault and was taken to hospital, where the victim was reported to be in stable condition. Police later began an operation to pursue the assailants and secure the area.
The incident in Garissa has heightened fears that suspected al-Shabab militants are again targeting communications infrastructure.
