Second blast in 2 days hits Somali neighborhood in Kenya

Saturday, December 08, 2012

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Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) -- A blast ripped through a neighborhood in Kenya's capital, killing three people in the second attack in as many days targeting the predominantly Somali area.

At least 16 others were injured in the Friday explosion near a mosque in Eastleigh, a neighborhood in Nairobi, according to the Kenya Red Cross.

It was the second blast in the area in two days. On Wednesday, another blast left eight people injured, including three who were in critical condition with severe head injuries, the Kenya Red Cross said in a statement.

No group has claimed responsibility for this attacks.

Recent explosions have rocked the East African nation, including a grenade attack last month that killed seven and triggered riots in Eastleigh. The grenade was hurled at a minibus full of passengers driving through the neighborhood.

Following that attack, angry mobs scorched and looted Somali-owned shops in the area.

Somalis in the area stoned the attackers, triggering riots that prompted police to respond with teargas.
Grenade attacks have escalated since Kenya sent its forces to neighboring Somalia last year to battle the Al-Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked group it blamed for kidnapping foreigners in the nation.

Authorities have also blamed the terror group and its sympathizers for the grenade and gun attacks in Kenya.
Kenyan forces are engaged in a fight in Somalia to debilitate the militants. The group once held large territories in Somalia, but has lost significant ground in the past year, including its southern base of Kismayo. The forces seized the port city in September.

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