Kenya: 12 killed in al-Shabaab hotel bomb

By Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Twelve people are confirmed dead after Somali-based al-Shabaab militants carried out an overnight attack on a hotel in the Kenyan town of Mandera near the Kenyan-Somali border.

Confirming the incident, county commander Job Boronjo Mandera told Anadolu Agency over the phone that rescue efforts are ongoing.

“I can confirm that the attack really did happen, and our officers are currently assessing the situation and rescuing the injured,” Boronjo said.

An officer who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity due to restrictions to speaking to the media said, “They definitely used an explosive device, the destruction is massive. The metallic doors and walls have all been blown apart.”

Police also said 10 out of the 12 victims were visiting to perform a play to students before the start of Kenya’s Certificate of Secondary Education Examinations.

Four people who were injured have also been rescued and receiving medical treatment.

The Bishaaro Hotel, where the attack took place, is known to mainly house non-locals. Police say that after the attack, the militants escaped via the porous Somali-Kenya border.

Through their radio station in Somalia, the Somali-based Al-Qaeda affiliate militant group claimed to have carried out the dawn attack.

Mandera has been a target of Al Shabab gunmen due to its close proximity to the porous Kenyan-Somali border, and earlier this month six people were killed when gunmen attacked a house in the area.