April 2, 2015
Heavy gunfire was reported in the early hours of Thursday morning at the Garissa University College, 120 miles from the Somalian border, when militants attacked the building. There were over 800 students inside at the time and only 280 have been accounted for so far.
Kenya’s National Police Service said armed militants shot at campus guards to gain entry, triggering a “fierce shootout”. The attackers still managed to get inside one of the student dormitories and some remain trapped inside.
Heavy gunfire was reported in the early hours of Thursday morning at the Garissa University College, 120 miles from the Somalian border, when militants attacked the building. There were over 800 students inside at the time and only 280 have been accounted for so far.
Kenya’s National Police Service said armed militants shot at campus guards to gain entry, triggering a “fierce shootout”. The attackers still managed to get inside one of the student dormitories and some remain trapped inside.
The number of hostages being held by the group is not known. Police and military forces say they are now trying to “flush out” gunmen from the campus. The Kenyan Natural Disaster Operation Centre said 65 had been injured.
It said one suspected terrorist was arrested as he tried to flee the scene.
A policeman at the scene said he has counted 14 bodies being carried out of the campus by a Red Cross Ambulance.
“They include two of our officers who were also killed,” he told Reuters. “We are finding it difficult to access the compound because some of the attackers are on top of a building and are firing at us whenever we try to gain entry.”
One student who fled described chaotic scenes as gunmen burst into the building. “They are just shooting randomly,” he said.
“My life was in danger, in fact everybody’s. They were shooting at us with live bullets, everywhere, all over the school compound.
“I am trying to call [students still trapped inside] but I can’t reach anyone.”
Two of the fatalities were guards at the university gates.
The US Embassy in Nairobi condemned the shooting as a “terrorist attack” on its official Twitter feed.
One Red Cross official told the BBC the attack began at 5am local time when a grenade was launched at the university’s gates.
“The attackers went into the girl’s hostel which is when they took the hostel over,” she said. “Forces responded and took over the operation and they have locked down the campus.
“According to local county government officials on the ground, we have 30 casualties, who have been taken to hospital. Four of them are very serious and most of the casualties have gunshot injuries.”
Kenya Defence Forces soldiers move behind a thicket in Garissa town A policewoman at the scene said up to 49 people had been wounded in the attack, all with bullet and shrapnel wounds.
Al-Shabaab has been responsible for a string of violent attacks in Kenya over recent years, which it claims are retribution for Kenya sending troops into Somalia.
Source: Independent
