Grenade hurts 13 in bar as Kenya fights militants
Source: Agencies |
October 25, 2011, Tuesday
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Print Edition
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A GRENADE exploded in a Nairobi bar yesterday, injuring 13 people two days after Kenya's US embassy warned of an imminent attack there as the east African nation fights Islamist militants in neighboring Somalia.
Kenya Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said there was no evidence to connect the attack with Somalia's al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab, which has threatened reprisals if Kenyan troops do not leave Somalia.
Witnesses said a man knocked on the door of Mwaura's bar early yesterday and hurled in the grenade.
One of the injured, Lawrence Kioko, said: "I heard an explosion, there was darkness and I thought the electricity had gone out, but when I touched my face, there was blood."
Bar owner Charles Mwaura said: "There was a lot of blood, injuries, people were screaming, others were confused. It was chaotic."
Simon Githai, communications manager at Kenyatta National Hospital, said of 13 people brought in, nine have been discharged and two are likely to be sent home soon.
Iteere said the device was Russian made and similar to one that killed two people in a bus station attack in Nairobi in December.
Nairobi blames al-Shabaab for a wave of kidnappings of foreigners on Kenyan soil that have threatened the country's multimillion-dollar tourism industry. The group has denied responsibility for the kidnappings, saying Nairobi is using them as a pretext for its military campaign.
Iteere said the police force had taken steps to boost security around potential targets within Kenya.
He also said police had found a number of AK47 rifles in a weekend sweep of the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya, home to more than 400,000 Somalis who have fled violence and famine at home.
Kenya is the latest of Somalia's neighbors to intervene militarily in a country that has not had an effective government for the last 20 years and where al-Shabaab's presence has had serious security repercussions on the region.
Kenya Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere said there was no evidence to connect the attack with Somalia's al-Qaida-linked al-Shabaab, which has threatened reprisals if Kenyan troops do not leave Somalia.
Witnesses said a man knocked on the door of Mwaura's bar early yesterday and hurled in the grenade.
One of the injured, Lawrence Kioko, said: "I heard an explosion, there was darkness and I thought the electricity had gone out, but when I touched my face, there was blood."
Bar owner Charles Mwaura said: "There was a lot of blood, injuries, people were screaming, others were confused. It was chaotic."
Simon Githai, communications manager at Kenyatta National Hospital, said of 13 people brought in, nine have been discharged and two are likely to be sent home soon.
Iteere said the device was Russian made and similar to one that killed two people in a bus station attack in Nairobi in December.
Nairobi blames al-Shabaab for a wave of kidnappings of foreigners on Kenyan soil that have threatened the country's multimillion-dollar tourism industry. The group has denied responsibility for the kidnappings, saying Nairobi is using them as a pretext for its military campaign.
Iteere said the police force had taken steps to boost security around potential targets within Kenya.
He also said police had found a number of AK47 rifles in a weekend sweep of the Dadaab refugee camp in northern Kenya, home to more than 400,000 Somalis who have fled violence and famine at home.
Kenya is the latest of Somalia's neighbors to intervene militarily in a country that has not had an effective government for the last 20 years and where al-Shabaab's presence has had serious security repercussions on the region.
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