Al-Shabaab attacks village in Kenya's Garissa

Nairobi – Al-Shabaab militants attacked a village in the north-eastern Kenyan county of Garissa, the ministry of interior said on Friday.

The Somalia-based al-Shabaab group, which has carried out frequent attacks in Kenya in recent years to try to force Nairobi to pull its troops out of Somalia, struck a university in the same area last month, killing 148 people.

A ministry statement said the militants entered Yumbis village, 70km north of Garissa town, on Thursday evening.

"Security forces swiftly mobilised and engaged the militants in a gun battle. No casualties were reported," the ministry said.

Kenya's tourism industry, a top foreign exchange earner, has borne the brunt of the attacks, as worried tourists cancel their bookings.