US, UN condemn Mandera attack
Some spent bullet cartridges at the scene where Al-Shabab militants shot dead 28 people after they hijacked a Nairobi-bound bus on November 23, 2014. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the attack.
- Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Somalia, Nicholas Kay condemned the attack saying it showed complete disregard for humanity.
The United States and the United Nations have condemned Saturday’s attack on a Nairobi-bound bus by Al-Shabaab militants that left 28 people dead.
A statement issued Saturday by the National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan called the attack "horrific".
"The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's horrific attack in Kenya by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab against innocent civilians," she said in Washington.
"The United States stands with our Kenyan partners in the effort to counter the threat of terrorism and affirms our ongoing commitment to working with all Kenyans to combat these atrocities," the statement read.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the attack.
Mr Ban pledged that the UN would continue supporting Kenya and other countries in the region “in their multidimensional efforts to address the scourge of terrorism.”
In his statement, he conveyed his “profound condolences” to the families of the victims of the attack.
Separately, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) for Somalia, Nicholas Kay, also condemned the “horrendous terrorist attack", saying it showed complete disregard for humanity.
Early Saturday morning near Arabiya about 15 kilometers from Mandera Town, the Al-Shabaab terrorist group attacked a bus headed to Nairobi, executing 28 passengers.
The passengers were singled out after they were unable to recite an Islamic creed. Most of those killed were teachers who were heading to other areas of Kenya for the December holidays.
Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the killings, which they said were in retaliation for last week’s mosque raids by Kenyan security forces at the coast.
Deputy President William Ruto said on Sunday that security agencies had killed about 100 suspects believed to have been among the attackers.
He said that two successful operations were carried out as security agencies pursued the terrorists into Somalia.
