Kenyan policeman killed in landmine blast

NAIROBI (AFP) - A landmine killed a Kenyan policeman and seriously wounded two others, when it exploded beneath their vehicle as they escorted aid workers near the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp, police said Tuesday.

"An officer has been killed, and there are two who are wounded, when their vehicle was blown up by a landmine," a police officer in the area said. Regional Police chief Leo Nyongesa confirmed the death.

It was not immediately clear whether the explosion had been triggered by a remote device, nor who was responsible for the blast.

Dadaab, which hosts more than 450,000 mainly Somali refugees, is close to the border with the war-torn Somalia, where Kenyan troops are battling Al-Qaeda allied Shebab insurgents.

Last month the hardline Shebab warned Kenya of retribution and revenge attacks for sending tanks and troops into Somalia in October.