Deadly Kenya coastal attack
June 17, 2014
Details about the latest attack to hit the region remained sketchy on Tuesday morning, but at least 10 people are reported to have been killed in a fresh attack claimed by the Somalia Islamist militant group Al-Shabab, who claimed the death toll was actually much higher.
"We carried out another attack last night. We killed 20 people, mainly police and Kenyan wildlife wardens. The commandos have been going to several places looking for military personnel," Al-Shabab spokesman, Abdulaziz Abu Musab, told the AFP news agency via telephone.
Precisely where the attacks had been launched was not immediately clear, with the Reuters news agency citing a Red Cross official who said gunmen had opened fire on residents in Poromoko, while the Associated Press quoted a police official who said that Majembeni village had been the target.
Both are close to Mpeketoni, where around 50 people were killed in a similar attack 24 hours earlier (pictured above). Al-Shabab has also claimed responsibility for that attack, in which several buildings, including government offices, banks, hotels and restaurants were burned down.
Al-Shebab militants have vowed to continue carrying out attacks in revenge for Kenya's military presence in Somalia.
pfd/hc (AFP, dpa, Reuters)