国际英语新闻:Kenyan President Urges Unity After University Massacre

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta called for unity Saturday, two days after al-Shabab militants massacred 148 people on a university campus, targeting mostly Christians.

In a televised address to the nation, Kenyatta declared a three-day mourning period, appealing to Kenyans to safeguard the nation's "peace and stability."

"I urge every Kenyan, every church and every local leader to speak up for our unity and ensure that our justified anger does not spill over and lead to the victimization of anyone," he said. "This would only play into the hands of the terrorists."

Kenyatta stressed his belief that "Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance" and said Kenyan Somalis and Muslims "form a vital part" of Kenya's economic and political life.

Thursday's slaughter at Garissa University College was Kenya's deadliest terrorist attack since al-Qaida's 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. That attack killed more than 200 people, mostly Kenyans.

Kenyatta promised the government would "employ all means" to bring the Islamist militants behind the university murders to justice. He said security forces were pursuing leads on the remaining accomplices and the mastermind of the attack.

Kenyatta said five of the accused terrorists had been arrested, while security forces killed four. Kenyans gathered Saturday to see the bodies of the dead gunmen, who Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said blew up "like bombs" when police shot them.

Kenyatta said al-Shabab must be tracked and deterred not only in Kenya but also in neighboring Somalia, where the group is based.

Threat of 'another bloodbath'

An al-Shabab statement Saturday threatened "another bloodbath" in Kenya, warning, "No amount of precaution or safety measures will be able to guarantee your safety." The group said Thursday's attack was revenge for Kenyan military action inside Somalia.

Saturday was another sad day in Nairobi, as families continued to learn of their losses, viewing the bodies of their loved ones in a mortuary.

The attackers stormed the university campus before dawn Thursday and began shooting indiscriminately. Witnesses said the gunmen later targeted Christians and freed some Muslims.

Kenyan security forces battled the militants for 15 hours and rescued more than 500 students before fatally shooting the attackers.

A Kenyan member of parliament, Mohamed Dahiye Duale, told VOA's Somali service there was strong information that the attackers had come from refugee camps in Kenya.

U.S. President Barack Obama, whose father was from Kenya, expressed "horror and sadness" over the attack. The White House said Obama reiterated his plans to visit Nairobi in July.

The Kenyan government is offering a $220,000 reward for an al-Shabab member thought to be behind the attacks. Mohammed Mohamud Kuno is already on a government watch list. He is suspected of being al-Shabab's chief for external operations against Kenya.

The al-Qaida-linked group has battled the Somali government and its allies since 2006. It has attacked targets in Kenya since Nairobi sent troops across the border in 2011. 

In 2013, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the massacre in Nairobi's Westgate Mall that killed more than 60 people.

The University of Nairobi warned its students last week that Kenyan government agencies had intelligence reports indicating al-Shabab was planning an attack on a major university, among other targets. It was not clear if a similar warning was issued in Garissa.

​Another survivor emerges

The Kenyan Red Cross reported finding a female survivor of the massacre on Saturday at the college. Cynthia Charotich, 19, told The Associated Press she'd remained hidden in a closet crawl space for two days, fearing attackers might still be lurking.

"I was just praying to my God," said Charotich, a Christian.

Kenyatta has ordered 10,000 police recruits whose enrollments are still pending to immediately report for training at the police college.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has called for greater security cooperation with Kenya, offering his condolences and calling the attack "barbaric." He said Friday that the killings showed the need to eliminate the "menace" of al-Shabab.