In northeastern Kenya, suspected al Shabaab gunmen kidnap local officials

Five government officials in northeast Kenya were kidnapped Monday while their route to work by gunmen suspected of being affiliated with the al Shabaab group, which has ties to al Qaeda, according to local elders who were cited on Monday.

According to Northeastern Regional Commissioner John Otieno, who was quoted by Citizen TV, the event occurred in Mandera county when the five village heads, who were local authorities nominated by the government, were traveling to the town of Elwak.

The same event was covered by the nation newspaper, which quoted Julius Njeru, the police chief of Mandera South. Al Shabaab was accused by both.

Michael Nyaga, a police spokesperson, acknowledged the occurrence and stated that the suspects were being sought, but he did not identify the individual authorities thought was at fault.

In Somalia, Al Shabaab has been battling for years to overthrow the government and impose its own government according to its rigid interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

In an attempt to pressure Kenya to remove its troops from Somalia, where they are a member of an international peacekeeping mission protecting the central government, it has also launched strikes in neighboring Kenya.