MANDERA (Xinhua) -- Suspected ‘al Shabaab’ militants attacked
a public passenger bus in Mandera, northern Kenya, early Saturday,
killing 28 people and injured several others, government official and
police confirmed.
Mandera East Deputy County Commissioner, Elvis
Korir, said initial reports indicate that a team of more than 100 armed
gunmen stopped the Nairobi-bound bus and ordered everyone out at around
5:30 a.m. local time.
"We are told the 100 armed men stopped
the bus just after it left Arabia area and all the passengers were asked
to come down and divided into two groups of Somalis and non Somali,"
Korir told Xinhua, adding that the non Somali group was sprayed with
bullets.
"We are also told more than 28 have been killed and
many others injured, but we are yet to know the exact circumstances, but
we are planning to dispatch a team of security personnel to the scene,"
the government official said.
Mandera County Police Commander
Noah Mvivanda said initial reports indicate the attackers were ‘al
Shabaab’ from neighboring Somalia.
He said the attack occurred at a place near the Kenya-Somalia border.
Mvivanda said the armed militia asked everyone on board to recite the Islamic doctrine and those who failed were shot dead.
"We have talked to two young ladies who managed to escape the tragedy
and they said four police officers were among the dead, but we are yet
to confirm," said Mvivanda.
The police commander said an aerial
surveillance will be conducted over the area before security teams leave
for rescue, given the fact that a similar attack late last year at the
area was used as a trap in which eight police officers were killed.
Since
Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia in 2011, northern and
parts of eastern Kenya have been hit by a series of blasts, with many
targeting local security forces and humanitarian workers.
.
One dies, another injured in grenade, gun attacks in Northern Kenya
WAJIR
(Xinhua) -- One person has died while another was seriously injured in
gun and grenade attacks in Wajir town in northern Kenya, government
official confirmed on Friday.
Wajir County Commissioner David
Rotich said lab technician Evas Mutunga, who was seriously injured in
the stomach, died on his way to Nairobi where he was being airlifted for
specialized treatment following attacks in the remote town on Wednesday
night.
.
"He had serious gun shot wounds in his stomach
and was bleeding so much which made it difficult for the doctors to save
his life. He had sustained four gun shots on the chest and shoulder,"
Rotich told Xinhua on Friday.
He said the second victim identified as Kangethe Ronald who was also injured in the incident was responding well to treatment.
During
the Wednesday incident, unknown assailants who were said to be two in
number opened fire indiscriminately at a local market in Wajir town and
in the process injuring one person.
They then proceeded to the
old mosque which is situated a few meters from the market where they
again opened fire arbitrarily and injured another person.
WAJIR
(Xinhua) -- Reserve fuel tank that was targeted by gunmen in Wajir,
northeastern Kenya. At least one person was killed and another seriously
injured in separate gun and grenade attacks during the incident. XINHUA
PHOTO - INGATI STEPHEN
.
Moments later they hurled a
hand grenade at the Wajir Kenya Power fueling tank. The grenade did
not, however, hit their intended target as exploded a few meters from
the machine.
Rotich said that the government would not rest until it gets the criminals.
"It appears the assailants were targeting to blow up the fuel tank at
the Kenya Power plant in order to plunge the town into darkness," Rotich
said.
"Fortunately the explosion did not cause much damage," and no one was injured in this attack.
"No arrest has been made in connection with any of the incidents, he said.
The
government administrator warned that they will not allow criminals to
disrupt peace and tranquility which was returning to the remote town
after attacks witnessed last year.
"They can run but they cannot hide," said Rotich.
This is the second time in less than three months that Kenya Power plant is being attacked.
Wajir town had enjoyed relative calm until the Wednesday night incident with no major incident reported.
Northern
Kenya has bore the brunt of grenade and gun attacks in the last three
years since Kenya sent its troops to Somalia to fight the ‘al Shabaab’
militia group.
