Militants are believed to have killed a group of Christians in Kenya.
According to Faithwire, International Christian Concern, a persecution watchdog group, says the group of Christians were traveling in a passenger bus when they were stopped.
“A passenger bus belonging to Medina Bus Company, traveling between Wajir and Mandera was attacked by a criminal gang at around 1730 hours this evening,” a local Kenyan police officer told ICC. “The attack happened at Maadathe area, five kilometers to Kotulo. Lives are believed to have been lost.”
Militants stopped the group while they were heading to the northeastern city of Mandera when militants stopped the bus and separated the passengers into locals and non-locals. The nine passengers who could not recite the Shahada, the Muslim profession of faith, were taken off the bus and shot at point-blank range. Two passengers are missing.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the heinous bus attack near Kotulo, Wajir today around 5:00 p.m. where 10 passengers were killed [or are missing],” said the governor of Mandera, Ali Roba, on Facebook. “I am informed that the suspected al-Shabaab fighters cowardly segregated non-locals heading to Mandera from Nairobi. It is extremely sad and humanly disturbing to learn that, yet again, they segregated locals from non-locals before killing those they believed to be non-locals.”
Police are investigating the shooting, according to DW.com.
DW.com also reported that al-Shabaab took responsibility for the attack, saying at least nine people were murdered.
The attack isn’t the first of its kind. According to ICC, In 2018, two men were shot dead after they refused to recite the Islamic creed.
In 2015, gunmen freed Muslim students but shot and killed nearly 150 students at Garissa University. In 2014, about 28 teachers were heading to Nairobi for Christmas when they were shot dead after not being able to recite the Shahada.
Photo courtesy: Pixabay
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
