Ten people dead and many wounded in simultaneous attacks near Somali border, say police

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Ten people have been killed and 40 wounded in simultaneous attacks on two churches in north-eastern Kenya near the Somali border, according to a police official.

Police commander Philip Ndolo said gunmen threw grenades during the attacks on Sunday.

The bloodiest attack was on the African Inland church in Garissa, a town 120 miles west of the Somali border. Attackers threw two grenades inside the church, one of which exploded, Ndolo said.

As the congregation attempted to escape, the gunmen opened fire. Ten people were killed, including two police officers guarding the church, and about 37 wounded. Militants from Somalia were immediately suspected.

At a second Catholic church in Garissa another grenade was thrown, wounding three people.

Garissa is one of two major towns near the Somali border. It lies to the west of the Dadaab refugee camp, which houses nearly 500,000 Somali refugees.

On Friday armed attackers kidnapped four international aid workers with the Norwegian Refugee Council and are believed to have taken them to Somalia.

Northern and eastern Kenya have suffered a series of attacks over the past year. Kenya sent troops into Somalia in October to hunt al-Shabaab fighters. The militants, who are allied with al-Qaida, have threatened repeatedly to carry out revenge attacks for the invasion.