At least 12 killed in Al-Shabaab attack in NE Kenya

At least 12 people were killed and several others injured after the Somali militant group Al-Shabaab raided a guest house in northeast Kenya early Tuesday, according to Kenyan authorities.

Four of the injured are in serious condition after the bloodshed at Bisharo Lodge in Mandera town, said Ezekiel Singoe, Mandera East divisional police commander.

The death toll could rise as there are people trapped under the rubble of the building which was badly damaged in the attack. Bomb experts have been sent there to try to rescue those trapped underneath.

Al-Shabaab used grenades and improvised explosive devices to carry out the attack, Singoe said. "Search and rescue operations are underway," he added.

Some ten people have so far been rescued, he said.

Mandera County Police Commander Job Boronjo said more security officers have been deployed to join the rescue operations.

"We are monitoring the situation. My officers are on the ground," Boronjo said.

This is the second such attack targeting non-locals within less than a month. On Oct. 5, six people were killed in a suspected Al-Shabaab attack on a residential plot in Bulla public works in Mandera.

The East African nation has previously witnessed increased terror attacks during the holy month of Ramadan and urged Kenyans to report any suspicious activities to security agencies for action.

The police said they are concerned that most public facilities have lowered their security alertness. Endi