Somalia Puntland government condemn Kenya terror attacks

Xinhua
Tuesday, July 03, 2012

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Authorities in the semi- autonomous Somali state of Puntland on Monday condemned recent attacks against targets in Kenya as heinous and terrorist, a statement said.

Since Kenya sent troops across the border into Somalia eight months ago, northern and parts of eastern Kenya have been hit by a series of blasts, many targeting local security forces and humanitarian workers.

"Puntland Government condemns these heinous bombings and attacks on civilians and aid workers," a government statement said.

Somali government forces on Monday managed to free four foreign aid workers abducted from Kenya on Friday.

The four aid workers worked for the Norwegian Refugee Council which has been operating in the Dadaab Refugee camp which houses 460,000 refugees.

Authorities in Puntland sent condolences to the families and victims as well as to the government and people of Kenya over the attacks on two churches in Garrissa town in northern Kenya.

They said the attacks and on civilians are aimed to create social discord among Kenyans and disrupt humanitarian assistance to the needy.

"We believe that these attacks aim to disrupt the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the needy refugees in the camps and to incite religious conflict among Kenya’s multi-religious and multiethnic communities," said the government statement.

The Somali authorities called on Kenyans to refrain from "being dragged into conflict among their own communities" and of revenge attacks among people of different faiths and ethnicities in Kenya saying the attackers ‘s main objective was to provoke such attacks.

Somali government forces and Kenya troops are currently carrying out joint operations to root out Al-Shabaab militants from regions in southern Somalia where the group’s fighters launch cross border attacks against Kenya.

"We urge the Kenyan government to exercise restraint and continue to support the Somali people in their efforts to liberate regions under the control of terrorists, to restore law and order and to stabilize the region," it concluded.

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