Hundreds of villagers in Kenya's coastal Lamu County have fled their houses after armed men attacked two villages Saturday and killed five people, beheading four of them.
Following Saturday's night terror attack, gunshots were heard in Juhudi village in Lamu County on Monday afternoon.
Eunice Njoroge is the assistant chief of Majembeni village in Lamu County. She is one of the government officers who visited the villages of Juhudi and Salama, where five people were killed by suspected al-Shabab militants.
A reinforcement was sent to Juhudi though there were enough security men in the area, Njoroge says. Security forces and officials went to determine whether the gunshots heard in the area were fired by terrorists or security forces in the area. She says there have been no reports of deaths other than those reported yesterday.
Kenyan security forces said they were pursuing the attackers in the forests around the villages and assured residents they would be safe.
However, witnesses say many residents of Juhudi and Salama have fled their homes for fear of further attacks.
Peter Muthengi is a pastor in the village of Salama. He says the residents are afraid for their lives.
The people who live in the villages are fleeing their homes and looking for a safe place to stay, he says. The people that live around the forest are terrified. There is calm in some sections, but there is a lot of worry.
At least 30 armed men dressed in military uniforms and sarongs stormed the two villages in Lamu County on Saturday night.
Stephen Mureithi, 39, lost his cousin Peter Mureithi in the attack.
Mureithi says they found his cousin at home, broke into his home, took him out and killed him outside the house. He says after killing him they burnt his motorbike, beddings, and bicycle. I gathered the rest of his belongings and kept them safe.
Terrorist strikes in Lamu County, particularly in areas near the forests, have killed dozens in recent years.
Al-Shabab has been active in Kenya since the country sent troops into Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping mission in 2011.
