Shabab militants raid police station in Kenya
Militants from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group have stormed a police station in northeastern Kenya.
According to a statement released by the Kenyan police, “more than 100” militants belonging to the Somalia-based group raided the Diff police station, located in Wajir county, at about 1:00 a.m. local time on Saturday, injuring at least one officer and stealing arms and ammunition.
“Officers put up stiff resistance and fought them off despite Shahab numbering over 100 in three trucks and heavy mortar fire,” said police chief Joseph Boinnet.
The latest attack comes as Wajir, close to the Somali border and located about 490 kilometers (305 miles) northeast of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, has come under a number of deadly attacks by the militant group in recent months.
The Shabab, a group known for its campaign of terror in Somalia since 2006, has a long record of launching attacks in Kenya as revenge for the country’s contribution to the African Union’s mission in Somalia. The AU troops seek to bolster the weak UN-backed government of Somalia against the militancy.
The government in Nairobi sent over 3,000 soldiers to Somalia in late 2011, after the Shabab carried out a series of raids inside Kenya. The group has been pushed out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and other major cities in the country by the African Union Mission in Somalia, but keeps carrying out attacks against civilians and troops in the country.
Kenya’s counties of Mandera and Garissa on the border have been hit by an upsurge of attacks by the al-Shabab militants. In early April, the group carried out an attack against the Garissa University College campus, killing nearly 150 people.
The militant group has vowed to continue attacks until Kenya pulls its troops out of Somalia.
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