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| Gunmen take students hostage in Kenya university attack | Gunmen take students hostage in Kenya university attack |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Masked gunmen are holding an unknown number of students hostage after a dawn raid on a university compound along the volatile Kenya-Somalia border that left at least 15 people dead. | |
| Attackers from Somalia’s al-Shabaab terror group stormed into the university shortly after 5am in the town of Garissa, about 90 miles from the border with Somalia. | |
| Related: Al-Shabaab video shows how far it lags behind in 'jihadi draft' | Related: Al-Shabaab video shows how far it lags behind in 'jihadi draft' |
| Arnolda Shiundu, a spokesman for the Kenya Red Cross, told the Guardian that the attackers set off a blast at the gate of the university hostels before storming the compound and taking hostages. | Arnolda Shiundu, a spokesman for the Kenya Red Cross, told the Guardian that the attackers set off a blast at the gate of the university hostels before storming the compound and taking hostages. |
| “We have evacuated about 30 casualties, most of them with bullet wounds. Four are in a critical state and Kenya Defence Forces personnel have airlifted three victims, including two soldiers, to Nairobi,” she said. | “We have evacuated about 30 casualties, most of them with bullet wounds. Four are in a critical state and Kenya Defence Forces personnel have airlifted three victims, including two soldiers, to Nairobi,” she said. |
| A mortuary attendant in Garissa said at least 15 were dead. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. | |
| Witnesses said the attackers had shot indiscriminately at students and teachers who had been woken up by the mayhem. “They are just shooting randomly,” Augustine Alanga told the BBC World Service. | Witnesses said the attackers had shot indiscriminately at students and teachers who had been woken up by the mayhem. “They are just shooting randomly,” Augustine Alanga told the BBC World Service. |
| #BREAKING: Some of students who escaped #Garissa uni college attack report of warzone situation where gunmen stormed & went on killing spree | #BREAKING: Some of students who escaped #Garissa uni college attack report of warzone situation where gunmen stormed & went on killing spree |
| At least 50 students managed to escape to a nearby military facility after the initial sounds of gunfire, according to the Red Cross. | At least 50 students managed to escape to a nearby military facility after the initial sounds of gunfire, according to the Red Cross. |
| A policewoman told Reuters the gunmen were likely to have taken hostages because many students remain trapped inside the campus. “Two guards who were manning the gate at the university have been killed,” she said. “We can hear gunshots from inside the compound but at this point we can’t tell who is shooting at who or what.” | A policewoman told Reuters the gunmen were likely to have taken hostages because many students remain trapped inside the campus. “Two guards who were manning the gate at the university have been killed,” she said. “We can hear gunshots from inside the compound but at this point we can’t tell who is shooting at who or what.” |
| Witnesses described a scene of carnage with a huge crater left behind following the blast at the gate. | Witnesses described a scene of carnage with a huge crater left behind following the blast at the gate. |
| Kenya’s new police chief, Joseph Boinett, who was appointed after the previous police commissioner was forced to retire following a spate of attacks in northern Kenya, said in a statement police were “engaged in an elaborate process of flushing out the gunmen from the hostels”. | Kenya’s new police chief, Joseph Boinett, who was appointed after the previous police commissioner was forced to retire following a spate of attacks in northern Kenya, said in a statement police were “engaged in an elaborate process of flushing out the gunmen from the hostels”. |
| “I urge Kenyans to remain calm as our officers work to make sure that the attackers are ejected from the hostel and normalcy returns within the shortest time possible.” | “I urge Kenyans to remain calm as our officers work to make sure that the attackers are ejected from the hostel and normalcy returns within the shortest time possible.” |
| Official report of current status vide Garissa attack. Thank you for your support. pic.twitter.com/I08RUALlFG | Official report of current status vide Garissa attack. Thank you for your support. pic.twitter.com/I08RUALlFG |
| Kenya has been hit by a series of attacks blamed on al-Shabaab since its troops were deployed in Somalia in 2011 to tackle the al-Qaida affiliate. The UN-Backed African Union troops have pushed al-Shabaab from virtually all major populated centres in the country but al-Shabaab have hit back with a series of terror attacks in Somalia, Kenya and Uganda, another country contributing troops. | Kenya has been hit by a series of attacks blamed on al-Shabaab since its troops were deployed in Somalia in 2011 to tackle the al-Qaida affiliate. The UN-Backed African Union troops have pushed al-Shabaab from virtually all major populated centres in the country but al-Shabaab have hit back with a series of terror attacks in Somalia, Kenya and Uganda, another country contributing troops. |
| The four-day siege of the Westgate mall in Nairobi in September 2013 that left 67 dead was the most spectacular al-Shabaab atrocity so far but the north of Kenya, which is primarily settled by Kenyan Somalis, has been the scene of a string of attacks, including the massacre of dozens of bus passengers in November. | The four-day siege of the Westgate mall in Nairobi in September 2013 that left 67 dead was the most spectacular al-Shabaab atrocity so far but the north of Kenya, which is primarily settled by Kenyan Somalis, has been the scene of a string of attacks, including the massacre of dozens of bus passengers in November. |
| Britain and Australia issued travel advisories warning against all travel to the north of Kenya and the Coast province last week. The tourism industry, the biggest source of employment at the Coast, has been seriously affected by falling arrival numbers due to the attacks. | Britain and Australia issued travel advisories warning against all travel to the north of Kenya and the Coast province last week. The tourism industry, the biggest source of employment at the Coast, has been seriously affected by falling arrival numbers due to the attacks. |
| North-east Kenya is one of the most impoverished parts of the country, where residents blame the state for years of marginalisation that has made the region an easy target for al-Shabaab operations and recruitment. | North-east Kenya is one of the most impoverished parts of the country, where residents blame the state for years of marginalisation that has made the region an easy target for al-Shabaab operations and recruitment. |
| Efforts have been made to reverse the economic depredations in the area. The university, opened in 2011, is one of the key projects rolled out by the government. It has a student population of about 900, many of them from other parts of the country. The pattern in other al-Shabaab attacks in recent years has been for the militants to separate Christians from Muslims and kill them at close range. | Efforts have been made to reverse the economic depredations in the area. The university, opened in 2011, is one of the key projects rolled out by the government. It has a student population of about 900, many of them from other parts of the country. The pattern in other al-Shabaab attacks in recent years has been for the militants to separate Christians from Muslims and kill them at close range. |