WAJIR, Kenya, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Unknown gunmen on Tuesday opened fire in an examination center in Wajir County in northeast Kenya, disrupting ongoing examinations which are taking place across the East African nation.
Regional government official Mohamud Saleh said a security operation has been launched to track down the suspects whom the locals and police say could not establish their motive. No injury was reported.
Saleh said the armed men forced their way into Abaqkorey High School and opened fire at the candidates just a few minutes after they had started their History paper, forcing the examiners to stop examinations for some minutes as security personnel there sought to establish the source of the gunshots.
"There were gunshots in the area that forced disruption of the sitting of History paper but security officials there did not establish the source and those behind the same. They fired back when the first shots rang," said Saleh.
He added that there were six police officers manning the center at the time of the incident and some of them fired back when the shots were heard from outside.
The police said the students scampered for safety after they heard gunshots before the assailants fled into a nearby bush. Wajir borders Somalia where Al-Shabaab have been mounting cross-border attacks.
Local police commander Caleb Wesa confirmed that no student was injured and that they had launched a manhunt for the two men. "We are yet to establish the motive behind the attack but we are investigating the matter," he said.
The center is in a small town and is in Habaswein district and near the border of Garissa and Wajir counties. The area is embroiled in clan fighting over boundary issues.
Saleh could not tell if those behind the shooting were Al-Shabaab gunmen or local militia involved in fighting over clan and boundary issues.
The Wajir region has been crippled by persistent insecurity incidents propelled by Al-Shabaab terrorists. The incident comes after the police killed four Al-Shabaab militants in neighboring Mandera County on Sunday.
Al-Shabab has staged numerous cross-border raids since Kenya decided in October 2011 to send troops into Somalia to confront them. The group says it is fighting for an Islamic state in Somalia.
by Muhammad Tahir
ISLAMABAD Cheap Chicago White Sox Jerseys , March 5 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and India have wrapped up high level diplomatic talks in Islamabad on a positive note as both sides have agreed to narrow down differences and ensure peace and tranquillity on the border.
Although the visit of Subramanyam Jaishankar to Islamabad on March 3 was part of his visit to the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, or SAARC Cheap Cincinnati Reds Jerseys , the two uneasy neighbors used the opportunity to discuss a wide range of bilateral matters, including issues seen as major irritants to normal relations.
There was no breakthrough in the talks Cheap Cleveland Indians Jerseys , however, the visit of the Indian diplomat was itself very important for both countries to break a month of deadlocked talks. India canceled the top diplomatic-level dialogue in August because of the meeting between the Pakistani high commissioner and the Kashmiri separatist leaders in New Delhi.
Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Cheap Colorado Rockies Jerseys , Aizaz Chaudhry, came up with the unanimous approach that their talks would be held in a "cordial and constructive atmosphere." One positive aspect was that both stressed the "importance of maintaining dialogue" to address each other's concerns and to find out a peaceful solution to their disputes.
The escalation of conflict near the Line of Control Cheap Detroit Tigers Jerseys , the disputed Kashmir region's de facto border, is one of the major causes of tensions and was on top of the agenda. Both sides called for calm and said they are committed to the much publicized 2003 ceasefire along the border.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif used his meeting with the visiting Indian diplomat to stress the importance of "peace and tranquillity" on the LoC as well as the Working Boundary Cheap Houston Astros Jerseys , the international border. He also said the "existing military-to- military mechanisms must be used optimally to check ceasefire violations."
Both countries are predominantly in favor of having good neighborly relations and the onus is on now of the leadership to respect their people's aspirations. The South Asian region has suffered enormously due to tensions and unresolved disputes, despite being blessed with enormous resources. It is widely believed that tensions between Pakistan and India have also badly affected the regional SAARC grouping.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's quest for a peaceful neighborhood in South Asia is producing results as the visit of the Indian official has raised hopes for the revival of the Composite Dialogue process that had been suspended after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. India had accused "Lashkar-e-Tayyeba" for planning the attacks Cheap Kansas City Royals Jerseys , who India claims had been working from Pakistan.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also made the wise decision to speak to Nawaz Sharif by phone last month to announce that he would send his senior diplomat to Pakistan that was welcomed by friendly countries. Indian had likened the Modi call to the traditional Cricket Diplomacy as he had also wished best wishes for the Pakistani cricket team in their World Cup matches in Australia and New Zealand.
The Cricket Diplomacy is not new between the two countries as it has been used in the past to reduce tensions. The diplomacy was introduced in 1987 as then Pakistani president Zia-ul Haq made a surprising visit to India to watch a cricket game that had helped defuse tensions. Another military President Pervez Musharraf traveled to India in 2005 apparently for a cricket match.