Mandera, Aug 11 : Kenyan security forces have launched a manhunt for al-Shabab militants who killed a government official before hijacking and fleeing with his official car in Mandera County which borders Somalia.

Mandera County Commissioner Henry Ochako who confirmed the incident on Sunday said that the militants ambushed and killed the official at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday at the Kamor area in Mandera town before fleeing with his vehicle, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ochako said a woman who was in the car jumped out of the moving vehicle and escaped.

Abdikadir Baricha, Mandera deputy director of Enforcement and head of the County Installation, said the vehicle was later driven towards the Somalia border by suspected al-Shabab militants.

Baricha said the current security situation in Mandera town is unpredictable and called on the county ministries and departmental heads to advise the drivers under their command.

"I urge the county drivers to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities," he said, noting that it is imperative that all county drivers prioritise safety protocols and restrict unnecessary parking of county vehicles in towns.

The incident comes barely a week after security forces conducted operations in northeast Kenya to flush out the al-Shabab militants from the region.

Since the Kenyan military crossed into Somalia in 2011, several attacks believed to have been carried out by al-Shabab militants have occurred in Mandera, Wajir, and Garissa counties of northeastern Kenya.

/IANS