Early this month, Christian bus passengers in Kenya were attacked and killed because of their faith. 

According to International Christian Concern, on December 6, 11 non-local Christian passengers were targeted while travelling from Nairobi and killed in Kotulo, northeastern Kenya.

ICC states that the passengers were separated from the other passengers who were Muslim and asked to recite the Islamic faith creed, the Shahada. Once they failed to do so they were killed by a criminal gang. Nine of the passengers who could not recite the creed were shot dead, two targeted passengers are still missing but are suspected to be murdered as well.

The gang members are believed to be Al-Shabaab militants. 

"They segregated locals form non-locals before killing those they believed to be non-locals."

The passengers were on their way to Mandera. The governor of Mandera commented on the attack saying, "I am deeply saddened to learn of the heinous bus attack near Kotulo ... It is extremely sad and humanly disturbing to learn that, yet again, they segregated locals form non-locals before killing those they believed to be non-locals."

Northeastern Kenya is no stranger to these types of attacks, in fact, many buses are targeted by militants where the separation of passengers by religious identity is common. In November eight construction workers narrowly escaped a van that was ambushed by a Somali-based Al-Shabaab militant group. That is only one of the many attacks that have taken place in these past years. 

"We praise God as the refuge and strong tower that He is for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to endure so much.”

ICC's Regional Manager for Africa says, "We hope that the government will take effective action to stop the senseless killing of so many Christians in Kenya at the hands of Islamic extremists like al-Shabaab. We praise God as the refuge and strong tower that He is for our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ who continue to endure so much.”