Al-Shabab reportedly attacks bus in Kenya, kills 28

About 100 gunmen suspected to be militants of the Islamic terrorist group, al-Shabab, have attacked a bus heading to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, killing about 28 passengers. Kenya’s Standard newspaper reports that the bus was coming from Mandera in the country’s northeast bordering Somalia when it was attacked at 5:45am this morning.

Mandera County Commissioner was quoted as saying that the attack was carried out by “about 100 gunmen who commandeered” the bus and forced the passengers out.

A reporter for the paper, Boniface Mungeri told Al Jazeera that the passengers were separated into groups according to their religion. Non-Muslims, he said, were executed and Muslims were freed. The assailants attempted to take the bus but it got stuck in mud on the unpaved road.

Two security officers and teachers, who were travelling to their home towns on holiday, were among the dead.

Kenyan authorities blamed the Somali terrorist group, al-Shabab for the attack. Al-Shabab was also blamed for the September 2013 attack on the Westgate shopping mall, which killed 77 people.