Kenya Al-Shabab Mass Murder Update: 70 Dead, 79 Wounded, over 500 Hostages Freed, 4 Terrorists Dead

Re-posted by Nicholas Stix

More than 70 dead in Kenya university attack, 500 rescued
By Tonny Onyulo, Special for USA TODAY
11:26 a.m. CDT April 2, 2015
WFAA

NAIROBI — More than 70 people were killed and 500 students were rescued Thursday after armed terrorists stormed a university in northern Kenya in an attack targeting Christians. At least 79 others were injured.

Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said the number of deaths could rise as soldiers mop up the area near the Garissa University campus. The Somali-based Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack that began early Thursday morning.

"We'll not allow terrorists to divide our country on religious lines," said Aden Duale, majority leader in Kenya's National Assembly.

The Kenya National Disaster Operation Center said operations were still ongoing, and Kenya's National Police Service reported four terrorists had been killed.

Earlier, heavy gunfire was reported at the college as the Kenyan military tried to end the siege. Two gunmen were killed as security officials intensified the rescue operation, the Interior Ministry said in the early evening.

On Thursday afternoon, Nkaissery had said 533 students were being held hostage and 282 had been rescued. The total number of students at the school is 815. Sixty staff members, including the principal, were also reported to have been held.

Students said the gunmen separated Christians from Muslims and were holding the hostages in a single dormitory, Kenya's National Police Service said. Explosives were reportedly staged around the Christian hostages, police said. Kenyan soldiers had taken control of the other two dorms on campus.

Police Inspector-General Joseph Boinett said there was a shootout between the attackers and police officers earlier Thursday. "We have the reports that the attackers shot aimlessly while inside the university compound," he said.

At least one suspect trying to flee the scene after the attack was arrested, police said. Kenyan police were offering a $220,000 bounty for Mohammed Mohamud, also known as Dulyadin alias Gamadhere, whom they believe is the mastermind of the attack, the Associated Press reported.

Students take cover in a vehicle after fleeing an attack by gunmen at Garissa University College on April 2 in Garissa, Kenya. Armed men stormed the university in northern Kenya, killing at least 21 and seriously wounding 65. More than 500 students remain unaccounted for. (Photo: AP)

Students who were able to escape said gunmen stormed the university, setting off explosives and shooting people on the campus just after 5 a.m. local time.

"Most of us were asleep when the incident happened," said Nicholas Ntulu, a student at the university. "We heard heavy gunfire and explosions. Every person ran for dear life as we passed the gunmen. Several (students) were shot dead. I only saw three gunmen heading to the hostels.

"There was nobody to help us at the time of the attack," he added. "The police officers took more than an hour to arrive at the scene."
President Uhuru Kenyatta urged Kenyans to stay calm. "This is a moment for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies," he said.

Kenyatta also ordered the inspector-general of police to accelerate the applications of 10,000 recruits for the Kenya Police College.
"We have suffered unnecessarily due to shortage of security personnel," he said. "Kenya badly needs additional officers, and I will not keep the nation waiting."

Frightened students rescued from the university gathered at a military camp near the Garissa airstrip.
"The sounds of gunfire was all over — we couldn't tell what was the right direction to go to be safe," said Ann Musyoka, a second year student. "We had to face the gunmen — they shot several people as we escaped towards the gate."
Schools officials said students reported the gunmen attended morning prayers at the campus mosque before heading to the dorm. The claim could not be independently verified.

"I was not at the institution when the incident occurred but several students phoned me crying over the attacks," said Jacktone Kweya, the dean of students. "When I tried calling them back their phones were off. It's very disturbing."
Victims were rushed to the Garissa Level Five Hospital. An aircraft with several doctors aboard left for the town to airlift the critically wounded to the capital of Nairobi.

Gunmen attacked Garissa University College in eastern Kenya early April 2, shooting indiscriminately in campus hostels, killing at least two people and wounding four others, police said. AP

Robert Godec, the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, said the United States "strongly condemns" the attack.

"We extend our deepest condolences to all who have been affected," he said in a statement. "We also offer our profound appreciation and gratitude to the members of the Kenyan security services who are risking their lives to end this cowardly attack.

"The attack once again reinforces the need for all countries and communities to unite in the effort to combat violent extremism," he added.

The assault comes in the wake of an intelligence report issued last week by security officials warning that al-Shabab was planning an attack on major institutions in retaliation for Kenyan military action in Somalia as part of an African Union initiative against the group.

Al-Shabab has carried out several attacks in Garissa and across Kenya in the past few years, including the 2013 attack at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead, and others on mosques in Mombasa, a coastal city in the east.

Nairobi-based security analyst Abdiwahab Sheikh said the incident highlights how the government has failed to shore up security in the country.

"The government has not learned anything from the Westgate attack," he said. "How do you allow terrorists to take students hostage for more 10 hours? I think our security forces need to learn from the past."