Nine beheaded in Kenya
Men killed on eve of cabinet secretary’s death US, S Korea bombers fly joint test
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 Poromoko villages and killed nine men. They were slaughtered like chickens, using knives,” said the witness.
Villagers said a group of heavily armed attackers, many of whom appeared to be Somalis, attacked the villagers at 11pm. They went from house to house searching for non-muslim men and gathered their victims together before beheading them.
Residents had called police to report suspected al-shabaab militants in the area earlier on Friday.
The attack is close to the village of Pandanguo, where al-shabaab attackers killed three police officers on Friday. Al-shabaab has frequently mounted cross-border attacks on Kenyan soil.
The al-qaeda-linked militant group wants to overthrow the weak Un-backed government and impose a strict form of Islamic law in Somalia. They have intensified attacks in Kenya since Kenya sent troops into Somalia.
At the same time Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta led national mourning after the death of his interior cabinet secretary, Joseph Nkaissery.
He died at a Nairobi hospital early yesterday.
Kenyatta, who addressed the nation in a televised news conference in Nairobi, called on Kenyans to stand united as the results of the post-mortem were released.
“His (Nkaissery) death comes at a critical time as we approach the general election. We assure all Kenyans that the nation is secured and our security forces are doing all they can to ensure our security.”
The Kenyan leader appointed education cabinet secretary Fred Matiangi as acting interior cabinet secretary after the sudden death of the 67-year-old Nkaissery.
“I take this opportunity to inform Kenyans there shall be no vacuum in securing our country. I have taken, this morning, the decision to appoint Dr Fred Matiang’i acting minister for internal security to ensure there is no vacuum,” Kenyatta said.
He also cancelled his political rally scheduled for Turkana in north-west Kenya.
“I have personally lost a friend. We spent the entire day yesterday (Friday) praying for the peace of our nation. We held discussions as late as 9.30pm. We were discussing issues of peace and security in terms of Kenya’s preparedness for junior athletics which starts in a few days,” he said.
“I send my condolences to his wife and children, his friends and the Maa community. I call on Kenyans to uphold peace in this difficult time.
The former opposition politician died a few hours after he was admitted to Karen Hospital in Nairobi.
Chief of staff and head of public service Joseph Kinyua said Nkaissery felt unwell and was taken to hospital for a check-up. Kenyatta said more details would be given out because of the untimely death. – Reuters and Xinhua SEOUL: Two US supersonic bombers conducted live-fire drills in South Korea yesterday in a show of force following North Korea’s test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, the South’s military said.
The pair of B-1B Lancer strategic bombers flew from a US base on Guam and were joined by US and South Korean jet fighters to conduct the simulated destruction of an enemy ballistic missile launcher and underground facilities, the South’s air force said.
North Korea announced on Tuesday it successfully test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, saying it was capable of carrying a large and heavy nuclear warhead.
Some experts believe the missile has the range to reach Alaska and Hawaii and the test signalled a significant advance in the North’s declared intent to build a nuclear-tipped missile that can hit the US mainland.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the test indicated a quicker than expected pace of the North’s intercontinental ballistic missile programme.
The B-1B bombers conducted the live-fire exercise at a range in South Korea’s eastern Gangwon province.the bombers then flew west, hugging the heavily fortified demilitarised zone border between the two Koreas, before leaving South Korean airspace.
Despite the sabre-rattling, the US and South Korea have said they are committed to resolving the crisis over the North’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile peacefully. The Koreas are still technically in a state of war with each other. – Reuters