The Somali extremist group Shabab claimed responsibility Tuesday for an attack that killed at least 12 non-Muslims sleeping in a hotel in the northern town of Mandera near the Somali border.
The attack on Bishaaro Guest House was part of a campaign to kill “unbelievers” in Kenya, the Islamist group said. Shabab, affiliated with Al Qaeda, claimed 15 were killed, while authorities put the toll at 12.
The attackers reportedly used explosives to blow open the metal front doors of the hotel before bursting in and shooting the victims.
Hours later, the group claimed responsibility for another major attack within Somalia when a suicide bomber with a truck carrying explosives slammed into the gate of a military base of the U.N.-funded African forces fighting Shabab, AMISOM.
The victims in the Mandera guest house attack included 11 men and one woman. Ten of those killed in the early hours of the morning were teachers from other parts of Kenya, in Mandera to stage plays for students about books that have been set as part of the high school curriculum, local officials told Kenyan media….
It was the second attack in three weeks in Mandera, a volatile border town. In an Oct. 5 attack, five Christians were beheaded, with Shabab claiming responsibility….
