Twelve people, described as “non-Muslims,” were killed early Tuesday morning in Kenya’s northeastern town of Mandera in a suspected terror attack by the Somali militant group al-Shabab.
The extremist group has for years conducted cross-border attacks in Kenya, partly in retribution for Kenya’s decision to send troops to Somalia as part of an African Union military campaign. Mandera, a predominantly Muslim border town nestled between the Ethiopian and Somali frontiers, has been a frequent target, and many of its residents have fled.
According to Abdi Rizak, a member of the Mandera county assembly, Tuesday’s attack occurred at a guesthouse called Busharo at 1:30 a.m, several miles from the border.
Kenya’s deputy police spokesperson Jared Ojuok said that suspected al-Shabab militants used explosives to blow up the front door of the guest house and then detonated another bomb-like device inside.
Immediate reports from the ground indicated that about 12 were killed in the aftermath of the explosion and four people were rushed to the hospital with injuries from crumbling bricks.
Rizak, speaking from Mandera, said some people were leaving the town because they were afraid.
“They live in fear. Every night people hear guns around the town,” he said, adding that only non-Muslims were targeted in Tuesday’s attack. The victims were visitors from Nairobi.
“They want to divide the country every time they do something,” said Rizak.
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SOURCE: Rael Ombuor
The Washington Post
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