The fearful militant group in Somalia, Al Shabab has said that it carried out series of raids in Kenya over the weekend that left 29 people dead and dozen others injured.

Al-Shabab has said it carried out the attacks in retaliation for Kenya’s military actions against its operations in Somalia. Kenya has a dozens of troops in Somalia, trying to protect the weak Somali government in the capital Mogadishu from being toppled by Al Shabab.

The attacks happened in Kenya’s coastal districts in which the militants, heavily armed, raided a trading centre in the village of Hindi, in Lamu County, and a police station in Gamba, Tana River County.

Local reporters say the militants also set fire to homes, vehicles and government buildings in the area, causing a huge financial setback in the area.

Kenya’s interior ministry says Al-Shabab is increasingly becoming a regional force outside Somalia and the Kenyan government will not take any chances any more. Similar attack last month in this same area left about 60 people dead.

Kenya’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta has said that Al Shabab attacks in Kenyan soil are slowing down the number of tourists to Kenya.

Last month, series of explosions in the capital Nairobi and in the coastal city of Mombasa led Britain, the United States, France and Australia to issue travel warnings to Kenya to its citizens. More than 400 tourists were evacuated to their various countries in the same month as a result of the frequent militants’ attacks.

Kenya has suffered a number of militant attacks since 2011 when its forces entered neighboring Somalia to combat Al-Shabab fighters. Al-Shabab has said that it is staging attacks in Kenya because Kenya is violating Somalia’s territorial integrity.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

Writer’s Email Address: Adamsisska@googlemail.com

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