Al-Shabaab militants behead 9 Kenyans

By Magdalene Mukami and Andrew Wasike

NAIROBI, Kenya

Somalia-based al-Shabaab militants on Saturday morning killed nine villagers in Kenya's Poromoko village located in the Lamu county along the coast.

Police told local media that the villagers were beheaded by the attackers who are suspected to have entered Kenya through the porous Kenya-Somali border which lies a few kilometers from where the attack took place.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed the attack in a televised statement to the country on Saturday while mourning the sudden death of Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery on Friday night.

"We have had an unfortunate incident this morning that we are currently assessing and addressing. But I take this opportunity to inform Kenyans there shall be no vacuum in securing our country," he said.

A senior police officer who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity said that additional police forces had been deployed to the area.