Al-Shabaab militants raid Komor Haile mosque, preach for hours
Members of Al-Shabaab at an undisclosed location in Somalia. PHOTO | FILE | AFP
What you need to know:
- A Mandera police report shows the Al-Shabaab militants arrived at Komor Haile mosque at about 10pm and left at 2am.
Police report says the militants forced worshippers to listen to their tirade against the government.
onSuspected Al-Shabaab militants invaded a mosque on the Kenya-Somalia border and preached to the residents for about five hours.
A Mandera police report revealed an unknown number of heavily armed militants arrived at Komor Haile mosque on Thursday at about 10pm and left at around 2am.
A local resident who spoke to the Nation on condition of anonymity said the militants went to the chief’s home but did not find him.
“They arrived when a sheikh was delivering a sermon, snatched the microphone and ordered him to sit and listen. We were shocked,” said the local.
The report at the police station said militants forced worshippers to listen for hours to their tirade against the Kenya government, local civil servants and security officials.
“It is Ramadhan and we go to the mosques at night for prayers and teachings,” said the local.
It is not clear if the militants arrived on foot or used vehicles.
“If they had vehicles then they were left far and used them to carry what they looted in local shops,” said the local.
Mandera County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka declined to comment on the raid.
Komor Haile is located between Koromey and Arabia in Mandera East Sub County.
