Kenya: Garissa residents shot after army launches crackdown

[Che -Guevara]

At least eight people have been shot and more than 50 wounded in an army crackdown in the north-eastern Kenyan town of Garissa, officials say.

 

A student told the BBC soldiers had shot at pupils waiting to go into an exam at a school near a military base.

 

It was the second day of violence after the killing of three soldiers by gunmen in town that borders Somalia, where Islamist militants are based.

 

Reporters say scores of troops beat and detained residents.

 

Kenyan Defence Minister Mohammed Yusuf Haji has told the BBC he did not authorise the army action in Garissa, which is about 350km (215 miles) north-east of the capital Nairobi.

 

'Ghost town'

 

Dr Musa Mohammed, the medical superintendent of Garissa Provincial Hospital, told the BBC that following "skirmishes" on Monday, 45 patients were admitted - two of whom had gunshot wounds.

 

The hospital received another 15 casualties, including three boys, on Tuesday morning.

 

"Out of them six are gunshot injuries - they are undergoing treatment. Currently up to now nobody has been reported dead," Dr Mohammed said.

 

The Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) said it had recorded that one person had died in the violence and that a blood donation area had been set up to help treat the wounded.

 

On Tuesday morning, the medial aid charity said in a statement that it had "rescued four males, four females and two children, eight of them being gunshot casualties".

 

 

Soldiers are also reported to have gone into a school and shot at students.

 

Hussein Yarow Ali, the head boy at County High School, told the BBC soldiers came into the school at 0900.

 

"We were waiting exam, we heard a lot of tension from the students - after a few moments two students were injured," he said.

 

"The one who was shot in the hand - he was in front of the class, he was just revising for the exam that he was waiting [for]."

 

Residents say Garissa has been like a ghost town on Tuesday, with all businesses and government offices closed and soldiers patrolling the streets.

 

Garissa's main market was set alight on Monday.

 

There have been several recent attacks on Kenyan security personnel in Garissa, which have been blamed on the Somali militant group al-Shabab.

 

Garissa and nearby parts of Kenya are mainly populated by ethnic Somalis.

 

Kenya sent troops across the border last year to fight al-Shabab but its forces have since been merged with the African Union force in Somalia.

 

The military says the soldiers who were shot were part of the AU mission in Somalia.

 

They were killed as they fixed a puncture on their truck, and the gunmen escaped into the crowds of people who gathered after the shooting.

[Che -Guevara]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20412594

[Khadafi]

Ilaahay ha u naxariisto, inta dhimatay. Somalis dead by kenyan bullets!

[STOIC]

How can you be the defense minister and your hometown turns into a garrison town? How can you go to sleep knowing your position is turned into nothing, but a pretext and mere tool for Kenyan army invasions of your hometown? The long and painful rule of Kenyan military hasn't left NFD...I wonder why they always think they can always deploy armies in the middle of big Somali cities?

[Che -Guevara]

^Your questions and statements will be willfully lost on many that now advocate for Kenya's occupation of the Juba.

 

On side note, our neighbors only respect absolute brutality and mindless brutality, the kind of Somalis like to exact but unfortunately onto each other.

[STOIC]

I watched a Kenyan news-reporter asking him a question whether he gave the orders for the military presence in the city and he responded with an arrogant tone saying " that is a stuuupid question" ..Duh you have the authority to direct the missions of the military (they don't call them Kenyan defense forces for no reason, you bloody canjeero head) .How can you let the military brush your authority aside and do things without your knowledge? .How can the military attack a market at will? .The Dujis MP was way better in his showing of his anger towards the military actions.This Garissa leaders are worthless piece of Canjero....

[Che -Guevara]

^I always thought Somalis were appointed to higher positions to be fall guy for anything that goes wrong. I wouldn't surprised if they forced him to resign for this incident-really irony eh if there ever was one. Somalis all over the Horn have chosen indignity and subservience over it seems everything.

[The Zack]

STOIC;891434 wrote:

How can you be the defense minister and your

hometown

turns into a garrison town?

Garissa is not Yusuf Haji's hometown. Just saying.

 

Nevertheless, these ruthless militia need stopped immediately.

[STOIC]

^Where is from? Mombasa? Malindi? This dude used to be Provincial commisoner when I was in Africa and all I knew about him was that he had roots in Garissa...

[Che -Guevara]

The Zack;891458 wrote:

Garissa is not Yusuf Haji's hometown. Just saying.

 

Nevertheless, these ruthless militia need stopped immediately.

Now all of sudden, they are militias? Come on, it's regular army that's suppose to be taking orders from him.

[The Zack]

STOIC;891459 wrote:

^Where is from? Mombasa? Malindi? This dude used to be Provincial commisoner when I was in Africa and all I knew about him was that he had roots in Garissa...

His hometown is Ijara. He has never been a PC in NE at all. He has PC in multiple other provinces though so you are right on that.

 

Che, what ever the f they are, they need to stop shooting innocent people when they can't find the real bad guys.

[STOIC]

Zack, common my men...Ijara I used to know was part of Garissa district and anyone from their will never say they are from Ijara, but Garissa..Unless now you want to divide the district into Divisions/Subdivisons...He is from Garissa..He maybe went to elementary school in Ijara, but I bet you my left foot he has properties in Garissa town...He was PC back when I was IN AFrica and a highly respected individual in Moi era...

[Che -Guevara]

Zack....You are grasping straws. The man has been humiliated and Somalis have been shown where they stand.

[The Zack]

STOIC, LOL ok I give you that I don't want you to lose your left leg. NE Province has 4 districts: Garissa, Ijara, Wajer and Mandera. Yusuf was born, raised and elected from Ijara. But again you are correct otherwise.

 

Che -Guevara;891465 wrote:

Zack....You are grasping straws. The man has been humiliated and Somalis have been shown where they stand.

Humiliated? How so? He has recently fired and/or replaced the entire Police leadership in October. I am sure these "Police" aka thugs will be dealt with soon.

[Abdul]

Yusuf Haji is from Garissa and this happening in his own backyard while a minister of defence....i think he should resign immediately.