Islamist militants kill 8 more in new attack on Kenya coast

Somali-linked militants attack for a second night in the town of Mpeketoni

Residents gather near the scene of a massacre by  gunmen in the coastal Kenyan town of Mpeketoni. Photograph: Joseph Okanga/Reuters
Residents gather near the scene of a massacre by gunmen in the coastal Kenyan town of Mpeketoni. Photograph: Joseph Okanga/Reuters

Somali-linked Islamist militants killed at least eight people in a second night of attacks on Kenya's coast, after a raid on the town of Mpeketoni left at least 50 dead, the Kenya Red Cross and the Somali rebel group said today.

Red Cross coordinator for the coast Mwanaisha Hamisi said that gunmenlast night attacked Poromoko area near Mpeketoni, which lies on the coast between Mombasa and the Somali border in the north, killing at least eight people.

“We raided villages around Mpeketoni again last night,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the spokesman for al Shabaab’s military operations, also said, saying it killed as many as 20 people, mostly police. “Our operations in Kenya will continue.”

Yesterday's attack saw gunmen in minibuses speeding into Mpeketoni and shooting soccer fans watching a World Cup match in a television hall and targeting hotels, a police post and a bank.