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Kenya: Hero's burial for police officer who helped stop college attack that killed 148

Associated Press
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Members of the Kenya Police department's elite Recce Company and relatives pay their respects at the funeral of Corporal Benard Kipkemoi Tonui, who died in last week's attack on Garissa University College by al-Shabab militants, in the village of Cheleget, Kenya Saturday, April 11, 2015. Thousands gathered in the remote village in Kenya's Rift Valley to give a hero's burial to the police officer who died fighting to end the Islamic extremist attack which killed 148 people. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga) (The Associated Press)

Nelly Tonui cries at the funeral of her husband Corporal Benard Kipkemoi Tonui, of the Kenya Police department's elite Recce Company, who died in last week's attack on Garissa University College by al-Shabab militants, at his funeral in the village of Cheleget, Kenya Saturday, April 11, 2015. Thousands gathered in the remote village in Kenya's Rift Valley to give a hero's burial to the police officer who died fighting to end the Islamic extremist attack which killed 148 people. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga) (The Associated Press)

Members of the Kenya Police department's elite Recce Company and relatives lower the coffin at the funeral of Corporal Benard Kipkemoi Tonui, who died in last week's attack on Garissa University College by al-Shabab militants, in the village of Cheleget, Kenya Saturday, April 11, 2015. Thousands gathered in the remote village in Kenya's Rift Valley to give a hero's burial to the police officer who died fighting to end the Islamic extremist attack which killed 148 people. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga) (The Associated Press)

Thousands have gathered in a remote village in Kenya's Rift Valley to give a hero's burial to a police officer who died fighting to end an Islamic extremist attack on a university which killed 148 people.

Corporal Benard Kipkemoi Tonui was part of the police department's Recce Company which stopped the April 2 attack on Garissa University College in eastern Kenya in less than half an hour. This was after the army and regular police had tried for 12 hours to halt the four gunmen from Somalia's al-Shabab militant group from killing students.

Burial for victims of the attack started Friday after the government released the bodies to their families earlier this week.