Dozens killed in Kenya bus attack
At least 28 passengers executed by suspected al-Shabab fighters after bus travelling to capital Nairobi is ambushed. |
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Al-Shabab fighters from Somalia hijacked a bus in
Kenya's north and killed 28 non-Muslims on board after they had been
singled out from the rest of the passengers, police officials said. Two police officers said that the bus travelling to the capital Nairobi with 60 passengers was hijacked 50km from the town of Mandera near Kenya's border with Somalia. The officers insisted on anonymity out of fear of reprisals because of an order from Kenya's police chief that officers should not speak to the media. The interior ministry confirmed Saturday's attack, saying via its official Twitter handle: "Bandits ambushed a bus from Mandera that was heading to Nairobi at dawn and killed 28 passengers of the 60 that were in the bus." "Security agencies are in pursuit of the criminal gang. We'll give a comprehensive update once preliminary reports are out." A reporter for Kenya's Standard newspaper told Al Jazeera the attack happened at 5:45am local time. Quoting Mandera County Commissioner, journalist Boniface Mungeri said the attack was carried out by "about 100 gunmen who commandeered" the bus and forced the passengers out. Passengers separated Mungeri said the passengers were separated into groups according to their religion. Non-Muslims, the reporter said, were executed and Muslims were freed. The assailants attempted to take the bus but it got stuck in mud on the unpaved road. Among those killed were two security officers and teachers who were travelling to their home towns on holiday, said the reporter. Mandera Country Governor Ali Ibrahim Roba said on Twitter: "The inhumane butchering of innocent Kenyans by terrorist must get [a] very firm response from our national security team." Kenyan authorities have blamed the Somali armed group al-Shabab for a wave of deadly attacks across the East African nation. Kenya sent troops to Somalia in 2011 after raids on its coastal towns blamed on al-Shabab and has since seen a surge in lethal attacks. Al-Shabab has also been blamed for the September 2013 attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, which killed 77 people. Somali government troops backed by AU forces are making progress in capturing the remaining al-Shabab strongholds, but the group has continued to carry out attacks in Somalia and the East Africa region. Recently, they captured the port town of Barawe. Al-Shabab was also dealt a heavy blow following the death of their leader, Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in early September in a US airstrike. Godane has been replaced by Ahmed Omar, also known as Abu Ubeid. |
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Source:
Al Jazeera
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