Armed militants ambushed a bus at dawn in north eastern Kenya and
killed nearly half of the 60 people aboard, authorities said Saturday.
The
gunmen killed 28 people in the bus, which was heading from Mandera, near the
Somali boarder, to the capital of Nairobi.
This is
one of the busiest travel seasons in the nation as throngs make their way to
relatives' homes for the holidays. Buses and other public transportation are
packed this time of the year.
"Security
agencies are in pursuit of the criminal gang," the Interior Ministry said
in a statement. "We'll give a comprehensive update once preliminary
reports are out." Continue...
The Kenya
Red Cross was helping retrieve bodies under the watch of security personnel.
No group
has claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Al-Shabaab, the al Qaeda-linked
group, has launched a series of attacks in Kenya since 2011, when the latter's
forces went into neighboring Somalia to battle the militants.
Kenyan
soldiers have raided militants' hideouts across Somalia, prompting retaliatory
attacks from the terror group.
Last
year, it raided a Nairobi mall in a brazen attack that killed 68 people and
left shoppers under siege for days.
The
militant group is based in Somalia, where it has killed international aid
workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers.
In
addition to Kenya and Somalia, it has struck Uganda. Al-Shabaab was responsible
for suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, four years ago that killed more than
70 people gathered to watch a World Cup soccer match.
As the
attacks get more daring, the international community has rallied to battle the
militants.
In
September, a U.S. airstrike killed its leader, Ahmed Godane, who was later
replaced. Al-Shabaab vowed to revenge his death.
No comments:
Post a Comment