In Kenya, gunmen open fire at a mosque, killing 7 people, less than 2 weeks before election
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A Kenyan official says gunmen have opened fire at a mosque in Kenya's east, killing seven people.
Maalim Mohammed, the county commissioner of Kenya's Garissa county, said Thursday that about eight gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles shot at a mosque in the village of Malele near the Kenyan-Somali border.
Mohamed says the motive of the attack is not clear. The region has been a hotspot of attacks blamed on al-Qaida-linked militants from Somalia. Somalia's al-Shabab militants have vowed to carry out attacks on Kenyan soil in retaliation for Kenya's military push into Somalia in late 2011.
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Thursday's attack comes less than two weeks before Kenya holds nationwide elections. There are fears al-Shabab-affiliated militants may try to disrupt the election with attacks.