Two years have passed since Al-Shabaab attacked the Dusit D2 hotel in central Nairobi, killing 22 people.
The anniversary comes as the town of Mandera in Kenya, on the Somali border, has seen an increase in attacks by Al-Shabaab amid fears of taking control. Mandera Governor Ali Roba said on Friday that he could not remain silent about al-Shabaab activities in his area.
Al-Shabaab militants attacked a bus in Mandera on Monday and abducted three people, according to Kenyan security officials.
Ali Roba claims al-Shabaab fighters controlled half of the region’s roads, an allegation denied by Kenyan security officials. “As the Governor of the Mandera County, I am clearly and emphatically saying that more than 50 percent of the roads in the region are controlled by Al-Shabaab,” he said.
Al-Shabaab has been carrying out attacks in Kenya for a decade, since Kenya sent troops into Somalia to help the African Union Mission in Somalia.