MARSABIT, Kenya, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and three others injured after unidentified gunmen ambushed a truck in Moyale town near the Kenya-Ethiopia border on Monday night, police confirmed on Tuesday.
Police said six of the dead were burned beyond recognition after the gunmen set fire to the vehicle the victims were traveling in around 9 p.m. local time on Monday, adding that three people who survived managed to escape and hid in the thicket.
"The vehicle was ambushed by an unknown number of attackers in jungle attire at the Eledimtu area. The truck was later torched by the attackers," police said.
Eastern Regional Police Commander Charles Naibei said they have launched investigations to establish the motive of the attack, saying the victims were transporting food from the border town to other parts of the country when they were ambushed.
Police suspected that the attackers could be smugglers or terrorists who were trying to find a footing in the area.
The Kenyan authorities have blamed the vastness of the region for the runaway influx of foreigners into Kenya through Moyale on the Kenya-Ethiopia border and the porous border with Somalia. ■
