Somali al Shabaab militants killed at least 36 non-Muslim workers at a quarry in northeast Kenya on Tuesday, beheading at least two of them in the same area that they hijacked a bus and killed 28 passengers just over a week ago.
Gunmen crept up on dozens of workers as they slept in tents around the quarry at about 1am, a village elder at Korome, near the site of the attack close to the Somali border, told Reuters.
“The militia separated the Muslims, then ordered the non-Muslims to lie down where they shot them on the head at close range,” Hassan Duba said.
A witness said most victims were shot in the head and at least two were beheaded. He counted 36 bodies at the quarry, about 15 km (10 miles) from the town of Mandera.
Kenya’s government confirmed 36 people were killed and cited survivors saying about 20 attackers were involved. One person died in another attack on the northern town of Wajir late on Monday, it added.
The Nov 23 bus attack also took place on the outskirts of Mandera. In that case, militants ordered non-Muslims off the bus and shot them, while sparing Muslims.
Critics say President Uhuru Kenyatta has not done enough to secure the nation since al Shabaab gunmen attacked Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall last year, an assault that left 67 people dead. A series of other al Shabaab attacks have followed.
As with past attacks, al Shabaab militants said they were punishing Kenya for sending troops to join African peacekeepers battling the Islamists in Somalia. In a statement, it put the death toll at 40 people and called them “Kenyan crusaders…Read More
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