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Somali-Based Alshabab Militants Attack Kenyan Town, Kill 12

Somali-Based Alshabab Militants Attack Kenyan Town, Kill 12

At least 12 people, including teachers, were killed on Tuesday morning after gunmen attacked Bishaaro Hotel in Mandera town, barely two weeks after a similar attack on a residential plot in the town that left six people dead.

The militant group however, claimed that it had killed 15 people in the attack that targeted non-Muslims.

“I counted nine bodies being removed from the building by colleagues, those dead could be more,” Reuters quoted a policeman who sought anonymity.

The attack that happened at about 3:30am also saw part of the building collapse after the gunmen, suspected to be from the Al-Shabaab militant group in neighboring Somalia, hurled grenades and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at the hotel.

The hotel had 33 occupants and ten of the casualties were visiting the town to stage plays for Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examination candidates, The Citizen reported.

Police on patrol responded to the attack and cordoned off the area before rescuing six occupants alive from the building, according to a government statement issued through spokesman, Eric Kiraithe.

All the victims were non-locals. The attackers gained entry into the lodging after throwing grenades and IEDs and proceeded to shoot dead the victims inside their rooms that had at least four occupants each.

The incident comes amid reports that security forces are afraid to conduct night patrols in the area.

“I cannot ask for more security for Mandera. There are enough personnel but they cannot patrol because of fear. We have to look for them and ask why they cannot protect the people,” The Star quoted Ali Roba, the area governor.

The county that neighbors Somalia has come under deadly attacks from the Al-Shabaab militants since Kenya deployed its military to the war-torn nation in an operation dubbed ‘Operation Linda Nchi’ in 2011.

In November 2014, gunmen attacked a bus ferrying teachers from the county into the capital, Nairobi and killed 28 people. All the victims were non-Muslims. A month later, the militants attacked a quarry and killed 36 workers in their sleep at about 1 am.

Al-Shabaab militants also claimed responsibility for the Garissa University attack in April, last year. At least 147 people, mostly non-Muslim students, were killed in the terror attack that is the second worst in the East African nation since the bombings on U.S. Embassy in August 1998.