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Al-Shabaab raid Kenyan mosque, preach for hours

Friday May 25 2018
mosque

Jamia Mosque in Mandera town on May 25, 2018. Suspected Al-Shabaab militants invaded a mosque at Kamor Haile some 25 kilometres from Mandera town on the Kenya-Somalia border and preached to the residents for about five hours. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION

By NATION AFRICA

Suspected Al-Shabaab militants invaded a mosque on the Kenya-Somalia border on Thursday night and preached to the residents for about five hours.

Police report at border town of Mandera revealed an unknown number of heavily armed militants arrived at Komor Haile mosque at about 10pm and left at around 2am.

A local resident who spoke to the Nation on condition of anonymity said the militants went to the area chief’s home but did not find him.

“They arrived when a sheikh was delivering a sermon, snatched the microphone and ordered him to sit and listen. We were shocked,” said the local.

Police said militants forced worshippers to listen for hours to their tirade against the Kenya government, local civil servants and security officials.

“It is Ramadhan and we go to the mosques at night for prayers and teachings,” said the local.

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It is not clear if the militants arrived on foot or used vehicles.

“If they had vehicles then they were left far and used them to carry what they looted in local shops,” said the local.

Mandera County Commissioner Kutswa Olaka declined to comment on the raid.

Komor Haile is located between Koromey and Arabia in Mandera East Sub County.

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