Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 3 January 2020
Kenyan officials say extremist attack on bus convoy kills 4

By TOM ODULA "Its unfortunate but to be
Associated Press expected," said security
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Ke- analyst Andrew Franklin, a
nyan officials say four peo- former U.S. Marine who is a
ple were killed on Thursday longtime resident of Kenya.
when a convoy of pas- "There is low-intensity con-
senger buses was fired on flict going on and they
by Islamic extremists in the (government officials) are
country's eastern coastal not treating the situation
area. in the five front-line coun-
Somalia's al-Shabab rebels ties with the seriousness it
have claimed responsibility deserves," he said, referring
for the attack. to Tana River, Lamu, Wa-
The gunmen fired at a con- jir, Mandera and Garissa
voy of three buses and two counties, which neighbor
vans that was being escort- Somalia and have been
ed by police to Lamu, said listed by the government
Lamu County Commission- as hot-spots for extremist
er Irungu Macharia. activity.
The four were killed when "Al-Shabab has the tactical
the vehicles were sprayed initiative. It decides when
with gunfire by attackers and where to launch an at-
in the Nyongoro area of tack and all we do is react,"
Lamu county along Ke- A man looks at a bus which was ambushed by gunmen in the Nyongoro area of Lamu county, he said.
nya's Indian Ocean coast, near the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020. Associated Press Al-Shabab stepped attacks
he said. in Kenya in December. The
The first bus was hit with for passenger vehicles in gers were shot at close choice but to be accom- group killed 11 people in
bullets on its side and tires the area became man- range and died instantly, modating and tolerant to Mandera county, eight of
but the driver managed to datory after 2014 when said a police report on one another," he said in a them police officers return-
speed away, he said. Oth- al-Shabab killed nearly 90 Thursday's attack seen by tweet. ing to duty, who were pulled
er vehicles in the convoy people in two attacks in the Associated Press. The In recent weeks, ahead from a bus on December 6.
stopped and the gunmen Lamu county. fourth fatality was a con- of the New Year, Soma- The group killed two non-
opened fire at passengers Al-Shabab claimed respon- ductor of one of the buses, lia's al-Shabab rebels have Muslim construction work-
fleeing on foot into the sibility for the attack on its it said. It said two other pas- stepped up attacks in Ke- ers in Garissa county on De-
bushes, he said. Andalus radio station, say- sengers were wounded. nya whose troops are in cember 17 and on Dec. 22
The police escort had been ing its fighters spared Mus- Mombasa county Gover- Somalia fighting the ex- burned construction equip-
delayed and was behind lim passengers and only nor Ali Hassan Joho con- tremists. The militants have ment owned by a Muslim
the convoy but arrived in killed Christians. demned the attack. "This vowed retribution on Ke- contractor that was being
time to prevent a massa- When the extremists is unacceptable in this nya for sending its troops to used to develop a road in
cre, he said. Police escorts opened fire three passen- day and age. We have no Somalia. Mandera.q
Turkish lawmakers authorize sending troops to fight in Libya

By SUZAN FRASER has drawn ire across the re- on the scope, amount and
Associated Press gion and beyond. timing of any mission by
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Tur- Ankara says the deploy- Turkish troops.
key's parliament on Thurs- ment is vital for Turkey to Turkish Vice President Fuat
day authorized the deploy- safeguard its interests in Lib- Oktay told state-run An-
ment of troops to Libya to ya and in the eastern Medi- adolu Agency that Turkey
support the U.N.-backed terranean, where it finds would send "the necessary
government in Tripoli battle itself increasingly isolated number (of troops) when-
forces loyal to a rival gov- as Greece, Cyprus, Egypt ever there is a need."
ernment that is seeking to and Israel have established But he also said Turkey
capture the capital. exclusive economic zones would not dispatch its forc-
Turkish lawmakers voted paving the way for oil and es if Libya's rival govern-
325-184 at an emergency gas exploration. ment halts its offensive.
session in favor of a one- "A Libya whose legal gov- "If the other side adopts a
year mandate allowing the ernment is under threat can different stance and says
government to dispatch spread instability to Turkey," 'OK, we are withdrawing,
troops amid concerns that Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to deliver a ruling party legislator Ismet we are backing down,'
Turkish forces could aggra- speech at an event in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, Dec. 30, 2019. Yilmaz argued in defense then why would we go?"
vate the conflict in Libya Associated Press of the motion. "Those who Oktay said.
and destabilize the region. shy away from taking steps Turkey's main opposition
The Tripoli-based govern- lent chaos rivaling the 2011 after he and Sarraj signed on grounds that there is a party, CHP, had said its law-
ment of Libyan Prime Min- conflict that ousted and a military deal that allows risk will throw our children makers would vote against
ister Fayez Sarraj has faced killed longtime dictator Ankara to dispatch military into a greater danger." the motion because the
an offensive by the rival re- Moammar Gadhafi. experts and personnel to The government has not deployment would embroil
gime in the east and com- Turkish President Recep Libya. That deal, along with revealed details about the Turkey in another conflict
mander Gen. Khalifa Hifter. Tayyip Erdogan said last a separate agreement on possible Turkish deploy- and make it a party to the
The fighting has threatened month that Sarraj request- maritime boundaries be- ment. The motion allows further "shedding of Muslim
to plunge Libya into vio- ed the Turkish deployment, tween Turkey and Libya, the government to decide blood." q