In an attack reportedly orchestrated by the Islamic militant group al-Shabab, gunmen opened fire on sleeping quarry workers in Mandera County, Kenya, near the Somali border, early this morning (July 7). At least 14 people were killed and 11 injured.
A quarry worker who witnessed the shooting told the Associated Press that he awoke to the sound of explosions at the gates of the compound where he and other workers sleep, around 1 am. He said he saw 20 gunmen shooting people who were sleeping inside and outside the buildings.
Al-Shabab is based in Somalia and has claimed responsibility for several high-profile terror attacks in Kenya, including the 2013 Westgate mall shooting in Nairobi and the April 2015 massacre at Garissa University College. The BBC reports that an unnamed al-Shabab source has confirmed the group’s involvement in today’s attack.