Kenya says it repelled Al Shabab militants in town north of Garissa
The attack on Thursday night follows Al Shabab's brief takeover of a mosque in the area, which borders Somalia, the base for the militant group.
The attack on Thursday night follows Al Shabab's brief takeover of a mosque in the area, which borders Somalia, the base for the militant group.
A daily roundup of terrorism and security issues.
Kenyan officials say they halted an attack by Al Shabab gunmen in the same northeastern county where the Somali militant group murdered nearly 150 college students last month.聽聽
The Thursday evening attack is the latest by the Al Qaeda-affiliated insurgents near the porous Somali border. It聽took place in Yumbis, about 40 miles north of Garissa, where the deadliest terrorist attack on Kenyan soil occurred in early April.
Masked militants rounded up villagers on Thursday, leaving only after placing black flags across the village, a resident told Al Jazeera. The militants were looking for non-Muslims, the resident said.
Kenya's interior ministry said Friday that 鈥淸security] forces swiftly mobilized and engaged the militants in a gun battle, no casualties were reported.鈥澛�
Earlier this week, some 25 suspected Al Shabab militants entered another northeastern Kenyan town and briefly took over a mosque, preaching for more than two hours, the BBC reports. The men reportedly told locals not to share intelligence with Kenyan security forces.
Not only is Al Shabab demanding that Kenya pull its troops out of Somalia, but it also wants all non-Muslims to leave Kenya鈥檚 northeast, Al Jazeera reports.
Driving a wedge between 海角大神s and Muslims has been a salient tactic of Al Shabab. During an attack on Nairobi鈥檚 upscale Westgate Mall in 2013, attackers questioned victims on their religion, and deliberately singled out 海角大神s. The same tactic was used during last month鈥檚 siege and mass slaughter at Garissa University College.
Abdullahi Boru, Nairobi-based East Africa researcher with Amnesty International, told 海角大神 that Al Shabab's use of religion as a societal divider聽may be a sign of the group鈥檚 desperation.
In April, following the deadly attack in Garissa, many raised questions about the government鈥檚 ability to respond to Al Shabab threats, the Monitor reported at the time.聽
Kenya announced plans in March to build a wall along its border with Somalia, but many question if that measure will be enough.