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Al-Shabaab Says Kenyan Cities Will Run ‘Red With Blood’

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Attack on Kenya's Garissa University College
Security forces guard after Al-Shabaab terrorists shot the students' way into Garissa University College, at least 147 students were killed and 79 injured, in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 2.Anadolu Agency—Getty Images
By Noah Rayman
Updated: | Originally published: ;

The Somali terror group behind Thursday’s deadly assault on a Kenyan college campus threatened a “long, gruesome war” against the country, according to a media report on Saturday.

Reuters reports that it received an emailed statement from al-Shabaab that said Kenya’s cities would run “red with blood.”

In a televised speech on Saturday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said Kenya would “do everything to defend our way of life,” and vowed not to allow al-Shabaab to create an Islamic caliphate in Kenya, according to Reuters. The President also declared three days of national mourning.

Early Thursday morning, assailants armed with guns and grenades attacked the Garissa University College Campus, targeting Christian students and killing at least 148 people, mostly students, with the death toll expected to rise. Kenyan officials said they found one survivor on the campus on Saturday.

The Somali-based al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, and in the statement to Reuters said it was in retribution for Kenya’s participation in the African Union-led fight against the group in Somalia and for mistreatment of Muslims in Kenya. The group was also responsible for the siege of an upscale shopping mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead.

“No amount of precaution or safety measures will be able to guarantee your safety, thwart another attack or prevent another bloodbath from occurring in your cities,” the group said, according to Reuters. “This will be a long, gruesome war of which you, the Kenyan public, are its first casualties.”

[Reuters]

Witness Scenes From the Kenya University Attack

A Kenyan soldier takes position as a heavy gunfight continues in front of Garissa University College, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.
A Kenyan soldier takes position as a heavy gunfight continues in front of Garissa University College, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.Dai Kurokawa—EPA
Students of Garissa University College take shelter in a vehicle after fleeing from an attack on the campus, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.
Students of Garissa University College take shelter in a vehicle after fleeing from an attack on the campus, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.AP
A woman reacts as she is rescued from where she had been held hostage after militants rampaged Garissa University College, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.
A woman reacts as she is rescued from where she had been held hostage after militants rampaged Garissa University College, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.Dai Kurokawa—EPA
Kenyan soldiers prepare to sweep a building at Garissa University College after gunmen attacked the campus, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.
Kenyan soldiers prepare to sweep a building at Garissa University College after gunmen attacked the campus, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.Dai Kurokawa—EPA
Medics help an injured person at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi after being airlifted from the site of an attack at Garissa University College, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.
Medics help an injured person at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi after being airlifted from the site of an attack at Garissa University College, in northeastern Kenya, on April 2, 2015.AP
A Kenya Defence Forces soldier stands guard before they ended a siege by gunmen in the university campus of the northeastern town of Garissa on April 2, 2015.
A Kenya Defence Forces soldier stands guard before the siege by gunmen at Garissa University College, in northeastern Kenya, ends on April 2, 2015.Carl de Souza—AFP/Getty Images
Students evacuated from Garissa University listen to an address by Interior Minister for Security Joseph Ole Nkaissery before they are transported to their home regions from a holding area on April 3, 2015.
Students evacuated from Garissa University College listen to an address by Interior Minister for Security Joseph Ole Nkaissery before they are transported to their home regions from a holding area on April 3, 2015.Carl de Souza—AFP/Getty Images
Members of Kenya's police force look out from the back of a truck as it enters the university campus of the northeastern town of Garissa on April 3, 2015.
Members of Kenya's police force look out from the back of a truck as it enters the university campus of the northeastern town of Garissa on April 3, 2015.Carl de Souza—AFP/Getty Images

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Write to Noah Rayman at noah.rayman@time.com