In another appalling incident of inhuman show of religious fanaticism, Somalia’s Shabaab Islamist group raided a university in Kenya, killing 147 students and injuring another 79. The death toll is the highest in a terror attack on Kenyan soil since the U.S. Embassy bombing in 1998. The masked gunmen began the assault before dawn, using grenades to blast open the gates of the Garissa university, before attacking students as they slept.
‘They forced us to lie on floor and recite the Islamic creed to prove we were not Christian’, survivors told the local media. One student, Japhet Mwala, recalled to AFP how “everyone started running” after hearing blasts and gunshots. “There were those who were not able to leave the hostels where the gunmen headed and started firing,” Mwala said. “I am lucky to be alive, because I jumped through the fence with other students.”
Five people have been arrested in connection with the attack, CNN reported on Friday, citing Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery. One of the terrorists attempted to sneak out of the Garissa University College campus during the 13-hour stand off between al-Shabaab and Kenyan military. He was caught by police outside the compound and taken into custody.The remaining terrorists were killed after Kenyan military stormed the dormitory where they murdered many of their 147 victims.Three of the dead were policemen, three were soldiers and 142 were students.
At this moment of distress, our heartfelt sympathies go out to the kith and kin of the deceased and to the survivors.. The Logical Indian community strongly condemns such barbaric acts of terrorism to show the love for one’s religion. As the revered Dalai Lama believes, “kindness is the only religion”.