Somali Extremists Kill 48 in Small Kenyan Town

Russ Jones | Christian Press | Updated: Jun 16, 2014

Somali Extremists Kill 48 in Small Kenyan Town

Somali extremists attacked the coastal town of Mpekitoni, Kenya Sunday. Armed with automatic weapons, the gunman killed 48 people in a raid that lasted five hours.

The Associated Press reports that residents of the small town failed to answer questions about the Muslim faith correctly.

"They came to our house at around 8 p.m. and asked us in Swahili whether we were Muslims. My husband told them we were Christians and they shot him in the head and chest," said resident Anne Gathigi.

An Open Doors spokesperson told Christian Today Mpekitoni is located south of the popular tourist destination Lamu.

"It’s like an island of Christianity in the midst of Muslim peoples", said the Open Doors spokesperson. "We do not know yet if any church was burnt but it is important to note that the Mpeketoni population is about 90% Christian surrounded by various Somali ethnic communities."

Government authorities attribute the attack on al-Shabab, Somalia's al-Qaida-linked terror organization. These are the same militants that attacked an upscale mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi where at least 67 people were killed.

The spokesperson added the Christian dominate communicate made the town a prime target for Somali militia who seek to remove peacekeeping troops from Kenya.

Publication date: June 16, 2014



Somali Extremists Kill 48 in Small Kenyan Town