ISTANBUL 

Kenyan police on Tuesday repelled an overnight attack by al-Shabaab militants on a compound housing Chinese road workers in the northeastern border town of Elwak, protecting all 10 workers, according to local media.

The raid began at around 1 am local time (GMT2200 Monday) when heavily armed militants stormed the guarded compound near Elwak police station, damaging vehicles and other property before withdrawing after an extended gunfight, local news website The Star reported.

The attackers smashed through the compound’s main gate and perimeter fence, damaging a police vehicle and several construction trucks, before border patrol officers were deployed to reinforce guards and secure the workers.

The militants are thought to have traveled into Elwak, in Mandera county, from Buraache using informal crossing points along the Kenya-Somali border.

Kenya has faced repeated al-Shabaab terror attacks since it deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 under the African Union Mission, now the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

The terrorist group often carries out cross-border ambushes, roadside bombings mainly targeting border police patrols and raids on remote police posts, seeking to pressure Kenya into withdrawing its forces.

Garissa, Mandera and Wajir counties, bordering Somalia, remain the most affected, with al-Shabaab exploiting porous frontiers, limited road infrastructure and remote terrain to stage attacks.

Despite intensified patrols and increased surveillance, Kenyan authorities say al-Shabaab continues to pose a persistent threat, particularly through roadside IEDs, which have killed dozens of security officers over the past decade.