At least 26 people were killed when Islamist militants stormed a hotel in the coastal city of Mpeketoni on Monday, local officials said. Hotels, restaurants, banks and government offices were razed to the ground in the attack.
Some 50 insurgents flying black Islamist flags swept into the coastal resort town of Mpeketoni, firing guns in an unprecedentedly bold attack, a local government official said Monday.
"There were around 50 attackers, heavily armed in three vehicles, and they were flying the Shabaab flag," Benson Maisori, deputy commissioner for the district, told AFP.
Several buildings including hotels, restaurants, banks and government offices were razed to the ground.
"So far we have collected over 26 bodies and taken them to the mortuary, but we are still looking for more," Maisori said, speaking from the town targeted in the attack.
Kenyan army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir described how the gunmen had stormed the town, overwhelming local police officers and firing from vehicles, "shooting people around in town".
Chirchir also said the attackers were "likely to be al Shabaab" although there was no immediate claim of responsiblity from the Islamists themselves.
Gun battles began Sunday evening and continued into the early hours of Monday morning, but by dawn Mpeketoni was reported calm.
The insurgents were reported to have been from the Somalia-based, al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab.
"They were shouting in Somali and shouting 'Allahu Akbar'," he added, meaning "God is great", in Arabic.
Cafes and bars were reportedly packed with people watching the World Cup on television when the gunmen attacked.
The town of Mpeketoni, a trading centre on the main coastal road, lies on the mainland some 30 kilometres (20 miles) southwest of Lamu island, a popular tourist destination whose ancient architecture is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Attackers tried to storm a police post including an armoury, but Maisori said officers had defended the building and fought the gunmen off.
It was the latest in a series of attacks or bombings to hit Kenya -- most usually blamed on al Shabaab or their supporters -- but the reported scale and nature of this attack is rare.
Kenyan troops crossed into southern Somalia in 2011 to fight al Shabaab, later joining the now 22,000-strong African Union force battling the Islamists.
The Shabaab vowed revenge for the military deployment and has carried out sporadic attacks on Kenyan territory, including a high-profile seige on Nairobi's Westgate mall in September last year in which at least 67 people were killed.
In May of this year, al Shabaab claimed an attack on Somalia's parliament.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Some 50 insurgents flying black Islamist flags swept into the coastal resort town of Mpeketoni, firing guns in an unprecedentedly bold attack, a local government official said Monday.
"There were around 50 attackers, heavily armed in three vehicles, and they were flying the Shabaab flag," Benson Maisori, deputy commissioner for the district, told AFP.
Several buildings including hotels, restaurants, banks and government offices were razed to the ground.
"So far we have collected over 26 bodies and taken them to the mortuary, but we are still looking for more," Maisori said, speaking from the town targeted in the attack.
Kenyan army spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir described how the gunmen had stormed the town, overwhelming local police officers and firing from vehicles, "shooting people around in town".
Chirchir also said the attackers were "likely to be al Shabaab" although there was no immediate claim of responsiblity from the Islamists themselves.
Gun battles began Sunday evening and continued into the early hours of Monday morning, but by dawn Mpeketoni was reported calm.
The insurgents were reported to have been from the Somalia-based, al Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab.
"They were shouting in Somali and shouting 'Allahu Akbar'," he added, meaning "God is great", in Arabic.
Cafes and bars were reportedly packed with people watching the World Cup on television when the gunmen attacked.
The town of Mpeketoni, a trading centre on the main coastal road, lies on the mainland some 30 kilometres (20 miles) southwest of Lamu island, a popular tourist destination whose ancient architecture is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Attackers tried to storm a police post including an armoury, but Maisori said officers had defended the building and fought the gunmen off.
It was the latest in a series of attacks or bombings to hit Kenya -- most usually blamed on al Shabaab or their supporters -- but the reported scale and nature of this attack is rare.
Kenyan troops crossed into southern Somalia in 2011 to fight al Shabaab, later joining the now 22,000-strong African Union force battling the Islamists.
The Shabaab vowed revenge for the military deployment and has carried out sporadic attacks on Kenyan territory, including a high-profile seige on Nairobi's Westgate mall in September last year in which at least 67 people were killed.
In May of this year, al Shabaab claimed an attack on Somalia's parliament.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
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