Suspected Islamist militants beheaded nine men in an overnight attack on a village in the Kenyan coastal district of Lamu, police said, days after Somali militants killed three policemen in an attack on a nearby village.

Police said there were nine bodies. A witness, who asked not to be named, confirmed the death toll.

“They raided Jima and Pandanguo villages and killed nine men. They were slaughtered like chickens, using knives,” said the witness.