At least 28 people have been killed in a bus attack in northern Kenya, which police officials have blamed on Somali militant group al-Shabab.
The bus was travelling to Nairobi from the northern Mandera county, near the Somali border, when it was ambushed by gunmen. Non-Muslims were reportedly separated out from other passengers and killed.
Though it was not immediately clear who the attackers were, regional police chief Noah Mwavinda told AFP, "I can confirm... that 28 innocent travellers were brutally executed by the Shabab."
Mandera Country Governor Ali Ibrahim Roba said on Twitter,
Kenya has troops on Somalia as part of an African Union Mission currently battling al-Shabab militants, alongside Somalia's government.
The bus was travelling to Nairobi from the northern Mandera county, near the Somali border, when it was ambushed by gunmen. Non-Muslims were reportedly separated out from other passengers and killed.
Though it was not immediately clear who the attackers were, regional police chief Noah Mwavinda told AFP, "I can confirm... that 28 innocent travellers were brutally executed by the Shabab."
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."The killings come after Kenya security forces carried out a series of raids on mosques in the city of Mombasa which saw over 350 people arrested and one person killed. The raids heightened tensions in the region, with four people stabbed to death in apparent revenge attacks last week.
Kenya has troops on Somalia as part of an African Union Mission currently battling al-Shabab militants, alongside Somalia's government.