WASHINGTON, April 4 (Sputnik) — US diplomats in Kenya remain in contact with the country’s authorities following the Thursday attack on the University College in Garissa, US Department of State spokesperson Marie Harf told journalists.
“The US Embassy has been in touch with Kenyan officials in the wake of this attack and is providing assistance,” Harf said on Friday.
At least 147 people died and 80 were injured when gunmen from the radical Islamist group al-Shabaab attacked on Thursday the University College in Garissa.
“We are working with them to increase their capacity, and they are trying to do so as well,” Harf said, adding that the US is providing training and equipment to Kenya’s law enforcement.
The Kenyan authorities reportedly offered a $215,000 reward for any information that will lead to the capture of the main suspect Mohamed Kuno.
Kuno, also known as Sheikh Mohamed, is the leader of al-Shabaab’s forces in the Juba Region of Somalia on the border with Kenya.
Al-Shabaab, a clan-based militant Islamist group linked to al-Qaeda, violently took over most of Southern Somalia in 2006, and expanded its insurgency while carrying out frequent gunfire and suicide attacks.
In 2011, Kenya declared war on al-Shabaab after a series of kidnappings by the terrorist group. Since, al-Shabaab has committed numerous terror attacks in Kenya's northeast.
