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At least 12 people have been shot dead in a bloody terrorist attack in Mandera over the night.
The 12 had been lodged in at Bishaaro Guest House in Mandera town when the terrorists suspected to be Al- Shabab struck.
According to police reports, they used improvised devices to break open the metal gates before breaking into rooms and shooting the occupants.
Among the 12 killed were ten members of a theater group that had travelled to perform plays based on set books for students preparing for their KCSE exams.
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A gunfire battle ensured after police responded to the attack and the terrorists fled heading to the Somalia border.
Reports confirm that 10 people including those wounded have been rescued though rescue efforts are hampered fears of booby traps left by the attackers.
More security personnel has been deployed in the area to take charge of the situation. The County police commander confirmed the attack.
Mandera Governor, Ali Roba has condemned the attack and called for the Mandera people not to be fooled by the terrorists' acts of targeting non-locals. He said the terror attacks were isolating Mandera economically by scaring investors away.
"Al-Shabaab is making it look like they are targeting non-locals but their aim is to make sure we don't attract investors Population of Mandera needs to wake up from slumber and realize attacks are aimed at economic isolation," he said.
Mandera Senator Billow Kerrow asked the police to pull up their efforts given the frequency of terror attacks in Mandera and Wajir. "In the last 3 months we have had attacks in Wajir and Mandera We are urging the security forces to scale up their work," he said.