Al-Shabab Siege of Kenya University Leaves 147 Dead
At least 147 people have been killed after Kenyan troops cleared a university dormitory in the town of Garissa in northeast Kenya that had been seized by al-Shabab gunmen, the interior ministry says.
Members of the Somalia-based group attacked the campus after dawn on Thursday and were holed up in a dormitory with hostages until the evening.
Officials said 79 students had been injured in the attack, and 587 had been evacuated.
Security forces had encircled the building exchanging sporadic bursts of gunfire with the fighters inside, who were believed to have been holding scores of students hostage.
Witnesses told Al Jazeera they heard heavy gunfire and saw smoke coming from the campus on Thursday evening as the standoff came to an end.
Joseph Nkaissery, the interior minister, said four attackers had strapped themselves with explosives.
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