Kenyan government: Military kills 100 al-Shabab militants after bus attack

MANDERA , Kenya, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A Kenyan official said Sunday that the military tracked down and killed over 100 Islamic militants responsible for killing 28 people on a bus Saturday.

Deputy President William Ruto said Kenya Defense Force soldiers had tracked down al-Shabab militants to a hideout and killed over 100 of them, though the militant group -- which has ties to al-Qaida -- rejected this claim, calling it "absurd" and denying any attack on its fighters at all.

"I can assure you that those behind the attack did not even take their supper," Ruto told the Standard, noting that Kenya Defense Force officers were dispatched immediately after Saturday's attack, which saw 28 non-Muslim men pulled from a bus and executed on the spot.

"They did not find time to celebrate their heinous crime," Ruto said.

Kenya, which lies south of Somalia on Africa's east coast, has dealt with attacks from Islamic militants in Somalia since 2011 after sending troops into the country to battle al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the bus attack, noting Kenyan military raids on mosques in Mombasa. In those operations, Kenyan forces recovered weapon stockpiles and arrested over 150 people.

Kenya's defense ministry said that 115 al-Shabab fighters had been killed in total over the weekend after offensives on the Kenya-Somalia border and incursions into Somalia itself.

Ruto urged cooperation from local leaders and avoiding criticism of government actions.

"Our officers are in full control and Kenyans should not be terrified by anyone. The attackers are people who are opposed to our development agenda. We will go further and arrest all those who are involved in these issues," he said.