(MENAFN- Morocco World News) A group of Kenyan Muslims protected the lives of Christians when terrorist group Al-Shabaab shot and stormed a bus full of passengers on Monday in Kenya.
A bus headed to the city of Mandera near the Somali-Ethiopian border was attacked by Somali militants from Al-Shabaab who attempted to single out Christian passengers to kill them according to CNN News.
However Al-Shabaab's plan to instill terror and divisions among Kenyans failed when dozens of brave Muslims stood up for the Christians onboard risking their own lives. According to witnesses cited by the same source nine gunmen fired shots at the bus forcing it to stop while several other attackers were hiding behind bushes. They told the nearly 100 passengers to step out of the bus and ordered Muslims to separate from the one dozen Christians traveling with them eyewitnesses said. The Muslim passengers refused to do so and hid Christians behind bags. Muslim women gave their hijabs to Christian women to stop the attackers from identifying them. 'They told them 'If you want to kill us then kill us. There are no Christians here' passenger Abdigafar Teno was quoted by CNN as saying. One Christian man was shot dead as he tried to run away during the attack while a driver of another truck traveling nearby was also killed the same source noted. No other casualties were reported as the bravery of the Muslim passengers kept everyone safe. Al-Shabaab militants left but threatened to return witnesses said. Passenger buses traveling on Kenyan roads have police escorts that accompany them due to the high security risks posed by Somali militants. The police escort on Monday's attack had broken down and the bus continued on its route when it was ambushed the same source revealed. Hundreds of Christians have been killed by Al-Shabaab's presence in Kenya since 2011. The terror group intends to sow divisions in Kenya and Somalia based on ethnicity and religion. Following the attack Joseph Nkaissery Kenya's Interior Cabinet Secretary gave a statement to the press. 'We are all Kenyans; we are not separated by religion. Everybody can profess his own religion but we think we are one country we are one people' Nkaissery stressed. That was a very good message from our brothers and sisters from the Muslim community' he concluded. According to the same source the secretary told reporters that authorities were in 'hot pursuit of the criminals.'
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