Al-Shabaab kills at least 29 in Kenyan coast attacks

Above: a woman stands outside a partly destroyed house after gunmen attacked Hindi village.

Gunmen are reported to have shot “indiscriminately” as they attacked a trading centre in Hindi, Lamu county, and the Gamba area in Tana River county.

“There were two attacks in Lamu and Tana River last night,” Kenyan interior ministry spokesman Mwenda Njoka said.

“In Lamu we have nine people dead and in Tana River we have 20. The number could rise.”

Officials said a group of 10-15 men struck at Hindi – which is close to the town of Mpeketoni, which was nearly destroyed in a recent attack.

‘Killed our colleagues’

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility and said in Gamba it had broken into a police building to free prisoners.

A police source, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed the account – saying: “They killed some of our colleagues and freed Muslim detainees.

“Some of those freed were linked to the Mpeketoni attacks two weeks ago. We still don’t know how many detainees were freed until we verify with registers at the station.”

Al Shabaab has been behind a wave of gun and grenade attacks along the Kenyan coast as was also responsible for the attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi.

On Satuday, al-Shabaab also claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack that killed four near Somalia’s parliament building.