Gunfire, explosions heard at Kenyan University near border with Somalia

Gunfire and explosions have been heard in Kenya’s Garissa University College near border with Somalia, as the gunmen entered the building, BBC reported.

According to the British broadcaster, three people have been injured, including two police officers and a student. Kenyan armed forces have arrived at the scene, BBC reported.

There are unconfirmed reports in the local media that the gunmen have taken hostages, according to the BBC.

It is not clear who is behind the Thursday morning attack, but the country has been targeted by Somalian al-Shabaab militants.Al-Shabaab, a clan-based militant group linked to al-Qaeda, took over most of southern Somalia in 2006 and later advanced to the central areas of the country.

In 2011, Kenya declared war on al-Shabaab after a series of kidnappings organized by the group and sent troops to Somalia. Since then, northeastern regions of Kenya have seen a number of terror attacks by the insurgent group.

The group killed more than 60 Kenyans in towns near the Somalian border in the last two months of 2014. The largest attack took place in September 2013 when al-Shabaab fighters attacked the Westgate shopping center in the capital of Kenya, Nairobi. According to official figures, 67 people were killed in the attack and 175 others sought medical assistance.