Another terrible act of violence by Islamic fundamentalists happened on the morning of April 2 at Garissa University College in Kenya. Armed terrorists who associate themselves as part of an Islamic terrorist group, al-Shabaab, stormed into the university. The attack lasted for over 15 hours. According to the official Twitter account of Kenya's National Disaster Operation Centre and Kenyan media reports, a total of 147 people were killed, 79 injured, and 587 evacuated.
The Islamic terrorists burst into the university as many of the students were participating in early morning prayer services. The terrorists opened fire on the students and also took hostages.
According to Joel Ayora, who was on the campus and was a witness of the carnage, these terrorists were "shooting anybody they came across except their fellows, the Muslims."
Agence France-Presse reports that the attackers separated the students by their religion. Christian students were kept as hostages while the Muslim students were allowed to leave.
According to Kenya's National Police Service, the terrorists even placed explosives around the Christian hostages that they had captured from the dormitories and the hostels.
"What I managed to hear from them is "We came to kill or finally be killed.' That's what they said," said Eric Wekesa, one of the students at Garissa University College.
The university had poor security as there were only two security guards protecting the campus ground. Both of these guards were killed before the massacre of the students took place.
One of the student, Augustine Alanga, told the BBC's Newsday Programme that it was "pathetic" how the university was protected only by two security guards.
Four of these Islamic terrorist gunmen were killed in the firings that ensued as the Kenyan military was involved to stop these gunmen. One of the gunmen was caught as he was trying to escape and was arrested.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta offered condolences to the families that lost their loved ones through this terror and ordered to ensure that police recruits be trained immediately. "We have suffered unnecessarily due to shortage of security personnel," he said.
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki Moon, also condemned this as "terrorist attack" and showed support to the Kenyan government to "prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism."
The United States also offered condolences and sought to help the Kenyan government overrun al-Shabaab, the terrorist group responsible for the massacre in Garissa University College and also Nairobi Westgate mall in 2013 which left 62 dead.
"We will stand hand-in-hand with the Kenyan Government and people against the scourge of terrorism and in their efforts to bring communities together," President Obama said in a statement.
Joo Heon Lee is a volunteer student writer from the University of California, Irvine.
