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KENYA – Kenya’s security forces shot dead five people suspected of involvement in attacks on the coast this week that killed about 65 people, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.
Somalia’s al Shabaab Islamist militant group, claimed responsibility for this week’s assaults that were 24 hours apart on the town of Mpeketoni and a nearby village.
The President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, dismissed the terrorist group’s claim and instead accused his political rivals of being behind the attacks. Kenyatta says his rivals wanted to stoke ethnic tensions. However the opposition swiftly denied the charge which possibly deepens the political divisions in Kenya.
“Five suspected attackers shot dead while escaping, three AK-47 guns and several ammunitions recovered,” the Interior Ministry said on Twitter, locating the incident in Lamu County.
A Kenyan army source, who asked not to be named, confirmed five suspects were killed in a forested area during a combined operation involving the army and other security forces.
Kenya has faced a spate of gun and grenade attacks in recent months. The killings in Mpeketoni were the worst since al Shabaab gunmen stormed into Nairobi’s Westgate shopping mall in September, leaving 67 people dead. – Reuters
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