Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has directed security agencies to ruthlessly deal with terrorists and armed criminals in Mandera County.

Kindiki in a statement on Thursday, July 6 stated that the agencies must pursue and deal with the criminals who killed police officers in the county.

“Security officers are directed to ruthlessly pursue and deal with terrorists and armed criminals who attacked and killed police officers in Mandera County,” read the statement in part.

 Kindiki at the same time noted that the government will gazette the Turkana South game reserve as a security operation zone in a move to deal with banditry along the Kitale-Lodwar highway.

“To conclusively and decisively deal with highway banditry along Kitale-Lodwar Road, the Government will shortly gazette Turkana South game reserve as a security operation zone and flush out all armed criminals using the game reserve as a recruitment ground and hideout,” said Kindiki.

This comes after the National Police Service (NPS) announced that it is probing a suspected terror attack in Mandera County that left twenty suspected al-Shabaab militants dead and eight NPS officers injured.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that the resulting heavy gunfire exchange between the Officers who were on patrol, and the militants, left twenty militants fatally injured and eight NPS Officers injured. Police also recovered assorted weapons from the Scene of Crime," NPS said in a statement.