Incident Summary:

12/28/2015: Security forces opened fire on an explosives-laden vehicle in Mandera town, Mandera county, Kenya. At least two assailants were killed and another person was injured in the attack. No group claimed responsibility; however, authorities attributed the incident to Al-Shabaab.

GTD ID:
201512280036

When:
2015-12-28

Country:
Kenya

Region:
Sub-Saharan Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Mandera

City:
Mandera

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Bombing/Explosion
Successful Attack? (more) No
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Unknown
Name of Entity Unknown
Specific Description Unknown
Nationality of Target Kenya
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Unknown
Extent of Property Damage Unknown
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Vehicle
Weapon Details
An explosives-laden Toyota Probox vehicle was used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) Yes
Alternate Designation (more) Lack of Intentionality
Additional Information There is doubt that this incident meets terrorism-related criteria. Officials questioned whether the assailants intended to carry out an attack, noting that it was unclear whether the vehicle actually contained explosives. Casualty numbers for this attack conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the lowest reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Al-Shabaab No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators 2
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 2 Fatalities / 1 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 2
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 2
Total Number of Injured 1
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Mandera Governor accuses KDF of lying about Shabaab attack 12 minutes ago in MyNews24," News24, December 28, 2015.
"KDF kill two in Mandera town after they defy order to stop," Daily Nation, December 28, 2015.
"Mandera Governor Wants KDF Probed Over Killings," AllAfrica Web Publications (English) UNASSIGNED, December 29, 2015.