Shock as terrorists shoot 28 dead in Kenya

Shock as terrorists shoot 28 dead in Kenya

Nairobi. At least 28 people were shot dead after suspected Al-Shabaab militants attacked a Nairobi-bound bus in Mandera.

Confirming the 5:30am attack, Mandera East deputy County Commissioner Elvis Korir said initial reports indicated that about a 100 armed militia stopped the bus and ordered everyone out.

He said the attack happened as the bus climbed the hills of the notorious Omar Jillo area in Arabiya Ward, Mandera East sub-county

“We are told a hundred armed men stopped the bus just after it left Arabiya area and all the passengers were asked to come down. They were then divided into two groups, of Somali and non-Somali,” said Mr Korir.

He said the non-Somali group was sprayed with bullets as the other group watched in disbelief.

“We are told more than twenty-eight people have been killed and many others injured but we are yet to know what exactly happened since we are planning to dispatch a team of security personnel to the scene,” he said.

Islamic verses

Speaking as he dispatched the police to the scene, Mandera County Police Commander, Noah Mwivanda, said the militia asked everyone on board to recite Islamic verses and those who failed were shot dead.

“We have been communicating to two young ladies who managed to escape. They said, from their hiding, that four police officers are among the dead but we are yet to confirm because some officers had just left for December holidays,” said Mr Mwivanda.

Mr Mwivanda said there were plans for an aerial surveillance of the area before the security team leaves for rescue.

He said this was because a similar attack late last year at the area was used as a trap, in which eight police officers were killed.

We are told these people are well armed and we can’t just go like that since it could be a trap, just like in the past, said Mr Mwivanda. Abdullahi Abdirahman, the Arabiya Ward Representative, also confirmed the attack, noting that the place has been prone to attacks.

“This place has been prone to attacks, this is not the first time the government has totally ignored us, and you can now see the how many innocent precious lives have been lost,” he said.

The attack comes only two weeks after Mandera Governor Ali Roba warned of more impending raids. He is on record to have warned then that there was intelligence that Al-Shabaab militants from cells in Somalia were heading to Kenya.

He took issue with what he said was a police move to downplay the 10 terror attacks that had occurred in his county in the last 40 days, instead of taking firm measures to contain them.

“Judging from the terror incidents in Mandera over the last 40 days…there have been 10 attacks, there’s no doubt terror cells in Somalia have firmly infiltrated into the country.

“It is, however, unfortunate that police in Mandera are down-playing the situation of increased terror attacks,” Mr Roba, a pilot by profession and who was elected on a URP ticket said. Mr Roba told the Nation on phone that intelligence reports indicated the Al-Shabaab were moving towards the Mandera-Somalia border and that “it is only a matter of time before they start moving into other parts of the country.”

Mr Roba’s worries could be justified as most of the suspects involved in the previous major attacks in the country were said to have entered the country through Mandera. Two of suspected terrorists involved in the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Nairobi were said to have entered the country through Mandera. One of the suspects was later killed in Somalia.

Two of the suspects involved in last year’s Westgate Mall raid were also traced to have crossed into Kenya through Mandera, with one having lived there for a week before heading to Nairobi.

A similar number of suspects caught with a vehicle full of explosives were also found to have used Mandera as a gateway to the country with one having schooled there, Mr Roba said. “They were said to have been with the vehicle in Mandera for a week before proceeding to Mombasa. The owner of the vehicle found with explosives in Pangani, Nairobi was also reported to be from Mandera. That is why it is wrong for anybody to downplay incidents of terror in Mandera as small issues yet they have been given responsibility to manage security,” Mr Roba said.

“Police are clueless as to who is behind the incidents and only issue some statements to cover their incompetency instead of dealing with the situation. This is an issue of great concern for security of the nation as Mandera is the gateway to most of the incidents that have occurred in the country,” Mr Roba said.

He added: “It is safe for police to say they have no clue who the attackers are or their motives rather than downplay the issue and put the rest of the country to sleep.”

He said the intensity and frequency of the explosions in Mandera calls for the country to be put on alert and action taken.