Kenya: Italian volunteer abducted in bandit attack

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Armed bandits kidnapped an Italian aid worker and wounded five people when they attacked a coastal town in southeastern Kenya, police said on Wednesday.

“A gang of men, armed with AK 47 rifles, attacked Chakama Trading center in Chakama, Makongeni sublocation in Kilifi county, about 80 kilometers west of Malindi town,” police said in a statement.

“The gang then abducted an Italian lady aged 23 years who is a volunteer of Africa Milele Onlus, an NGO operating in the area,” the statement added.

Africa Milele Onlus is a charity house for children.

All the injured were taken to the hospital and police were deployed to track down the attackers, police said.

Among the victims were children aged 10 and 12, who were shot in the left thigh and the right eye respectively.

The reason for the attack or the identity of the attackers is yet-to-be known, according to the police.

However, the locals claim that the attackers were Somalia-based al-Shabaab militants who usually cross the Kenya-Somalia border.