MANDERA, KENYA: Suspected Al Shabaab militants on Saturday morning killed at least 28 people on a bus in Arabiya area, Mandera County.

The heavily armed militias are reported to have waylaid Nairobi bound bus, which left the incursion prone Mandera town early in the morning between Mandera and Arabia.

Confirming the incident, Mandera East sub-county commissioner Elvis Korir said "I can confirm to you that there was unfortunate incident this morning where about 27 innocent travelers were killed by unknown militia,"

He added “We are now in the preparation of sending security reinforcement, medical staffs and ambulance to retrieve and transport the bodies of the deceased to Mandera town. Military are already there to pursue the heartless killers.”

According to Korir, the assailants stopped the bus, veered off from the main road before separating passengers and targeting those they perceived to be non-Muslim.

"There are unconfirmed reports indicating all those killed were commuters perceived to be non- Muslim by the attackers who were separated from the rest. But we treat this as speculations until our officers who are on the ground verify the assertions,” he added while speaking on phone.

The attacks come barely two days after government security officials in the coastal city of Mombasa closed two mosques after allegedly found hosting radicalised Muslim youth and cache of firearms among them hand grenades.

Towns in North-East region (Mandera, Wajir and Garissa) has bore the brunt of the revenge attacks by the Somali based Al-Qaeda inspired Islamist, who repeatedly declared deadly attacks in Kenya that will turn rivers into running human bloods and tall buildings into debris of destruction.

Arabia ward member of the County assembly (MCA) Abdullahi Abdirahman who spoke to Standard Digital on phone said the attacks happened 15 kilometers from Arabia town at about 5 am local time, and blamed the national government for the beastly killing of innocent commuters.

He accused the government of not taking their repeated calls to establish a strong military presence in Arabia to thwart recurrent attacks from suspected Islamist militia, who frequently ambushed vehicles using Mandera-Arabia road and killing, maiming and looting people at will.

"We have had more than 15 militia attacks that has led to death and maiming of travelers in this road for the last one year alone. We have pleaded with the government to provide security, but they have turned deaf ears and here today we are experiencing avoidable massacre," he lamented.

On Wednesday night, two civilians were injured after unknown armed criminals lobbed hand grenades and gun fire at group of people who were walking on the street in Wajir town.