Kenya links bus station attack to Al Shabaab
Hospital staff and witnesses bring a wounded man into a Nairobi, Kenya, hospital today after a bomb attack at a bus station killed at least three people and wounded more than 20 others. A senior police official who did not want to be named said it was believed that one or several grenades had been thrown at the bus station. It is the first such incident in the Kenyan capital since two grenade attacks carried out within 24 hours of each other late in October 2011 killed one person and injured 30 others.
Four people are dead and dozens wounded after grenades exploded inside a crowded bus station today in Nairobi, Kenya.
As many as 4 grenades came flying from a passing car into the Machakos country bus station near the city center, AFP said.
A dozen people are in serious condition after an attack that police blamed on Al Shabaab, AFP reported.
“This is a cowardly act by Al Shabaab elements,” police representative Charles Owino told AFP. “But we will not relent in the war. We will get them and we will continue with the war.”
Kenyan troops are fighting Al Shabaab in neighboring Somalia.
The Islamist extremists are connected to Al Qaeda.
More from GlobalPost: Kenya’s drive against Al Shabaab
BBC reported 4 deaths, and other sources say as many as 40 are injured.
One of the wounded said he was buying a ticket when he heard 2 explosions.
“It was the second one that got me,” Frederick Shikutu told The Associated Press.
Today’s incident is similar to attacks last October that killed 1 and injured 30, AFP said.
Kenyan troops crossed the Somalia border in October to engage Shabaab resistance there after the kidnapping of several foreign workers.
Shabaab denied any connection to the incident.
More from GlobalPost: Somalia: Al Shabaab ambushes Ethiopian troops, killing dozens
The extremist group is also under pressure from Ethiopian troops backing government forces and the African Union force of Ugandan and Burundian troops, AFP said.
Earlier today, Shabaab forces ambushed and killed dozens of Ethiopian troops.
The terrorist group said it killed 73 soldiers, while Ethiopian government sources said 48 Shabaab fighters died in fighting that lasted several hours.
More from GlobalPost: Old problems plague new India
Every day, reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you. We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
Make a gift today, and you’ll help us unlock a matching gift of $67,000!