48 Killed during Al-Shabab raid in Kenya
At least 48 people have died after al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked hotels and a police station in a Kenyan coastal town, officials have said.
Advertisement
Witnesses in Mpeketoni said gun battles lasted several hours, while several buildings were set on fire.The town is on the mainland near Lamu Island, a well-known tourist resort.
Somalia's al-Shabab group said the attack was carried out to avenge the presence of Kenyan troops in Somalia and the killing of Muslims.
Kenya sent troops to Somalia in 2011 to help the weak UN-backed government defeat the militants.
The BBC reports from Mpeketoni the gunmen shot dead anyone who was unable to recite verses from the Koran.
This is the most deadly attack in Kenya since last September, when at least 67 people were killed during a siege by al-Shabab fighters at Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre.
Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku described the attackers as bandits, and said they had crossed a "red line".
Police fought fierce battles with the gunmen, who fled into a nearby forest, Mr Ole Lenku said.
The attack started at 20:30 local time (17:30 GMT) on Sunday as locals were watching a football World Cup match on television.
Other Trending Stories
Local residents told the BBC the gunmen hijacked a van and used it to attack various locations across Mpeketoni, which tourists travelling by road pass through before crossing to Lamu.