Shebab claim new attack in Kenya, police say at least 10 dead

NAIROBI, Kenya – At least 10 people have been killed in a new overnight attack near Kenya’s coast, police said Tuesday, June 17, with Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels claiming responsibility.

Police said gunmen, apparently part of the same group that massacred close to 50 people in the town of Mpeketoni overnight Sunday, June 15, attacked a village in the same region overnight on Monday, June 16, and left 10 dead.

“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,” Shebab’s military spokesman, Abdulaziz Abu Musab, told Agence France-Presse by telephone.

“The commandos have fulfilled their duties and returned peacefully to their base,” he added, without saying if the attackers were still in Kenya or had driven back across the Somali border, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) north.

Kenyan police spokeswoman Zipporah Mboroki confirmed an attack had occurred overnight, although local police and a county official said there were at least 10 dead.

“Our officers are trying to access the scene and the details are sketchy,” she said. – Rappler.com