10 More Killed in Another Attack on Coastal Kenyan Town | WPN World People News

Suspected militants have launched a second deadly attack in the coastal Kenyan town of Mpeketoni, where a Sunday attack killed at least 52 people.

Local officials said Tuesday that at least 10 people were killed in an overnight attack. Witnesses say the gunmen also set several homes on fire.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group claimed responsibility for the attack late Monday, and claimed about 20 people were killed. The Somalia-based militant group also claimed responsibility for Sunday's raid.

On Monday, the regional governor told VOA the Kenyan government had sent more troops to Mpeketoni. Lamu County Governor Issa Timamy said the troops would help with security. He also advised residents in the town to be vigilant.

Witnesses said Sunday that least 30 gunmen rode into town in several vehicles and attacked hotels, a police station, homes and other public places. Some of those killed had gathered to watch the soccer World Cup.

Witnesses say the gunmen, in some cases, appeared to single out non-Muslims.

In a statement, al-Shabab said the attack was retaliation for the slaying of Muslim clerics in the Kenyan city of Mombasa, where several religious leaders have been killed in the past two years.

The militant group also declared Kenya a "war zone" and warned tourists and foreigners to stay away.

Al-Shabab has launched a number of attacks in Kenya, which has troops fighting al-Shabab in Somalia. More than 60 people were killed when al-Shabab militants assaulted a Nairobi shopping mall last September.

Governor Timamy also said the Kenyan government is offering assistance to families affected by Sunday's attack. He said the government will provide the families of victims about $1,100 to assist with the burial expenses. He also said the government is looking into compensating businesses affected by the attack as well as orphaned children.

At a news conference in Nairobi Monday, Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Lenku said security officers are pursuing the perpetrators, and he warned against attempts to incite public anger.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki called the attack "heinous" and condemned it "in the strongest terms."

"There can be no place for appalling acts of violence such as this in any society. We continue to work with Kenya to address security in Kenya and in the region," said Psaki.

In 2010, al-Shabab attacked a World Cup viewing site in Uganda, which also has troops in Somalia. That attack killed more than 70 people.

Source: Voice of America