Islamic Terrorists In Kenya Shoot, Behead 36 Christian Quarry Workers

The militants attacked the workers as they slept in their tents, beheading at least three of them. AP

Islamic terrorist group al-Shabaab has brutally killed 36 Christian workers after separating them from Muslims at a camp in Kenya.

Reuters reports that the attack, which was carried out 10 miles from the town of Mandera, was revenge for the Kenyan army's presence and anti-terror operations in Somalia.

The gunmen reportedly crept up on dozens of workers sleeping in tents in the same area near the Somali border where a bus was hijacked and 28 passengers killed last week.

"The militia separated the Muslims, then ordered the non-Muslims to lie down where they shot them in the head at close range," Hassan Duba, an elder at a nearby village, said according to Reuters, adding that at least three of the victims were beheaded.

Following the attack, President Uhuru Kenyatta called for unity, announcing that he will change his top security officials and saying that that internal political conflicts in Kenya cannot help in the fight against terror.

"Our bickering only emboldens the enemy. This is a war against Kenya and Kenyans," Kenyatta said. "It is a war that every one of us must fight. We will not flinch in war against terrorists."

"The time has come for each and every one of us to decide and choose - are you on the side of an open, free, democratic Kenya... or do you stand with repressive, intolerant extremists?"

An al-Shabaab spokesman claimed the terrorist group carried out the attack, blaming the involvement of "Kenyan crusaders" in Somalia "and their ongoing atrocities therein, such as the recent air strikes on Muslims".

"We are uncompromising in our beliefs, relentless in our pursuit, ruthless against the disbelievers and we will do whatever necessary to defend our Muslim brethren suffering from Kenya's aggression," spokesman Ali Mohamud Rage said.

Demonstrators hold up painted crosses in protest against government failure to protect people from al-Shabab attacks in Nairobi, Kenya. EPA

Kenya's population is predominantly Christian at 82.5 percent; Muslims only make up an estimated 11% percent of the population.

Terrorist group has Al-Shabaab has stated that it will drive out Christians "from Muslim lands" and will continue carrying out attacks in Kenya until the country is under Islamic rule.

However, Muslim leaders have warned Kenyans against taking al-Shabaab's bait and fighting one another.

The vice-chairman of the Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims, Abdullahi Sirat, "Kenyans should stand united to defeat al-Shabaab because they are also the number one enemies of Islam," he said. "They are without religion and the Kenyan government should deal with them anywhere they may be hiding."