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Attack at a Kenyan University - 600 hostages and [147] dead

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P

pgtl_10

Member
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/04/02/kenya-university-attack/70815094/

Gunmen stormed a university in northern Kenya on Thursday, taking nearly 600 students and staff members hostage. At least 21 people were killed and 65 others seriously wounded, officials said.

Heavy gunfire was reported at the Garissa University campus as the Kenyan military tried to end the siege. The Somali-based al-Shabab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Kenya Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said 533 students are being held hostage and 282 have been rescued. The total number of students at the school is 815. Sixty staff members, including the principal, are also being held.

Students said the gunmen separated Christians from Muslims, and are holding the hostages in a single dormitory, local media reported.

Police Inspector-General Joseph Boinett said there was a shootout between the attackers and police officers. "We have the reports that the attackers shot aimlessly while inside the university compound," he said.

At least one suspect trying to flee the scene after the attack has been arrested, police said.
Students take cover in a vehicle after fleeing an attack by gunmen at Garissa University College on April 2 in Garissa, Kenya. Armed men stormed the university in northern Kenya, killing at least 21 and seriously wounding 65. More than 500 students remain unaccounted for.

Students who were able to escape said gunmen stormed the university, setting off explosives and shooting people on the campus just after 5 a.m. local time.

"Most of us were asleep when the incident happened," said Nicholas Ntulu, a student at the university. "We heard heavy gunfire and explosions. Every person ran for dear life as we passed the gunmen. Several (students) were shot dead. I only saw three gunmen heading to the hostels.

"There was nobody to help us at the time of the attack," he added. "The police officers took more than an hour to arrive at the scene."

President Uhuru Kenyatta urged Kenyans to stay calm. "This is a moment for everyone throughout the country to be vigilant as we continue to confront and defeat our enemies," he said.

Kenyatta also ordered the inspector-general of police to accelerate the applications of 10,000 recruits for the Kenya Police College.

"We have suffered unnecessarily due to shortage of security personnel," he said. "Kenya badly needs additional officers, and I will not keep the nation waiting."

Frightened students rescued from the university gathered at a military camp near the Garissa airstrip.

"The sounds of gunfire was all over — we couldn't tell what was the right direction to go to be safe," said Ann Musyoka, a second year student. "We had to face the gunmen — they shot several people as we escaped towards the gate."

Schools officials said students reported the gunmen attended morning prayers at the campus mosque before heading to the dorm. The claim could not be independently verified.

"I was not at the institution when the incident occurred but several students phoned me crying over the attacks," said Jacktone Kweya, the dean of students. "When I tried calling them back their phones were off. It's very disturbing."

Victims were rushed to the Garissa Level Five Hospital. An aircraft with several doctors aboard left for the town to airlift the critically wounded to the capital of Nairobi.

Gunmen attacked Garissa University College in eastern Kenya early April 2, shooting indiscriminately in campus hostels, killing at least two people and wounding four others, police said. AP

Robert Godec, the U.S. ambassador to Kenya, said the United States "strongly condemns" the attack.

"We extend our deepest condolences to all who have been affected," he said in a statement. "We also offer our profound appreciation and gratitude to the members of the Kenyan security services who are risking their lives to end this cowardly attack.

"The attack once again reinforces the need for all countries and communities to unite in the effort to combat violent extremism," he added.

The assault comes in the wake of an intelligence report issued last week by security officials warning that al-Shabab was planning an attack on major institutions in retaliation for Kenyan military action in Somalia as part of an African Union initiative against the group.

Al-Shabab has carried out several attacks in Garissa and across Kenya in the past few years, including the 2013 attack at the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead, and others on mosques in Mombasa, a coastal city in the east.

Nairobi-based security analyst Abdiwahab Sheikh said the incident highlights how the government has failed to shore up security in the country.

"The government has not learned anything from the Westgate attack," he said. "How do you allow terrorists to take students hostage for more 10 hours? I think our security forces need to learn from the past."
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Senseless carnage that will accomplish but death and sorrow.
 
C

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Was listening to this on the way in to work this morning. It's just such an alien concept. I can't imagine a university in the US being invaded and shot up and then encamped by religious extremists. It's just such a tragic thing that there are places in the world where that's actually conceivable.

I hope nobody else get's shot. Aside from the attackers, that is.
 
P

Poodlestrike

Banned
CrimzonSamurai said:
Was listening to this on the way in to work this morning. It's just such an alien concept. I can't imagine a university in the US being invaded and shot up and then encamped by religious extremists. It's just such a tragic thing that there are places in the world where that's actually conceivable.

I hope nobody else get's shot. Aside from the attackers, that is.
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Ditto. It's like... I have no frame of reference for processing this. It's like news from a different world, almost.
 
M

Mrmartel

Banned
So they have 600 Hostages, or 600 people are missing? Also they have been separating Muslims from Christians, Hindu's etc.

This could turn into an atrocity of the highest order. These guys aren't known for going out peacefully.
 
S

Sch1sm

Member
Mrmartel said:
So they have 600 Hostages, or 600 people are missing? Also they have been separating Muslims from Christians, Hindu's etc.

This could turn into an atrocity of the highest order. These guys aren't known for going out peacefully.
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Just under 600 hostages.


E: Garissa. Huh. I have family there. A solid, bumpy, 4-5 hours off the capital. Interesting target. :c
 
C

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Mr.Swag said:
Boko Haram, al shabab, etc, why does no one care about these groups?

Is it really the oil thing?
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No it's mostly the Africa thing. Not sure about Al-Shabab, but I'm pretty sure that the Nigerian government has actively refused international help in dealing with Boko Haram.
 
V

vas_a_morir

Banned
JPizzle84 said:
Terrible news.
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Lightning_Roller said:
This is horrible. Just horrible.
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entrement said:
This is crazy.
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jamesinclair said:
Holy fuck this is horrible
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crimzonflame said:
Terrible news.
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Ekdrm2d1 said:
.
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Dark_castle said:
Fuck!
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andycapps said:
Awful. :(
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Tom Nook said:
.......I'm lost for words.......

My God :(
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Okay

Anyway, I never understand the point in these kinds of acts. Then again, I think back to the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. it led to 4 years of slaughter, millions upon millions dead (and the rise of Communism and National Socialism), but it DID eventually lead to the dissolution of the Austrian-Hungarian empire. So, maybe terrorism is pretty effective if you have that 'any means necessary' kind of attitude.
 
S

Sch1sm

Member
TheGreatDirector said:
Pretty sure the countries with them have resisted help in fighting them.
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Yessir. Somalia even refused to hand over an Al-Shabaab commander who was responsible for an attack in Kenya late last year. Yet time and time again they "condemn" the attacks and stop them within their own country through use of the army. They're not helping the situation much at all.
 
C

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Mr.Swag said:
Is it a pride thing?

That's dumb
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Many African nations are, somewhat understandably, reluctant to accept foreign troops or even military overseers/observers into their territory. Colonization and the wars that followed after its end have made international cooperation a hard sell.
 
P

pgtl_10

Member
Sch1sm said:
Yessir. Somalia even refused to hand over an Al-Shabaab commander who was responsible for an attack in Kenya late last year. Yet time and time again they "condemn" the attacks and stop them within their own country through use of the army. They're not helping the situation much at all.
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Is it also a sign that the Somalian government is weak and fears they will be toppled by Al-Shabaab?
 
D

Dragoon En Regalia

Member
...Wow. This ain't cool, and I sincerely hope losses will be mitigated and the perpetrators retributed accordingly. Awful that university students anywhere become targets of violence without chance for dialogue. Is this group conducting similar attacks elsewhere?
 
A

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
A god-damn university?
Who the hell is behind this?
 
R

Raistlin

Post Count: 9999
ugh :(



Mr.Swag said:
Its a fucking university.

Why would you kill kids who are trying to learn?


God the ignorance
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You unintentionally hit the nail on the head.


In order for religious extremists to maintain or grow power, they need to keep the peoples ignorant. So yes, it's ignorance in the name of god.
 
B

Barzul

Member
CrimzonSamurai said:
No it's mostly the Africa thing. Not sure about Al-Shabab, but I'm pretty sure that the Nigerian government has actively refused international help in dealing with Boko Haram.
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We have a new president now. The first time the incumbent has lost an election and the opposition party has won in our relatively young democracy. Hopefully we make some progress on that front. The last few weeks we dealt some significant blows to Boko Haram's territory...we'll see what the future brings with new leadership.
 
S

Sch1sm

Member
pgtl_10 said:
Is it also a sign that the Somalian government is weak and fears they will be toppled by Al-Shabaab?
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They've been weak for a long time, and the election in 2012, which people hoped would have changed such, really didn't. The Prime Minister made a statement about driving them out by the end of 2014, only for the group to stage a series of small attacks and one on the presidential palace. lol. I'm under the impression they're scared.
 
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