The death toll in a university attack in northeastern Kenya rose to at least 70 on Thursday, with another 79 wounded, but the siege was almost over, Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said.
Nkaissery told reporters in Garissa that about 500 out of 815 students were accounted for, while four al Shabaab fighters were killed and 90 percent of the threat eliminated. However, he cautioned that "the operation is ongoing, anything can happen."
At the same press conference in Garissa, Kenyan police chief Joseph Boinet said the east African country has introduced a dusk to dawn (6.30pm - 6.30am) curfew for four regions near Somalia border as a security precaution.
Kenya's interior ministry also says two of the gunmen who attacked a college in northeast Kenya have been killed.
In a statement on Twitter, the ministry said Thursday: "Two terrorists have been neutralised in the ongoing operation. Security agencies intensify rescue operation."
Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said that most students at Garissa University College that was attacked by al-Shabab gunmen remain unaccounted for, more than 11 hours after the attack started.
Nkaissery said: "Garissa University college has a student population of 815 and about 60 members of teaching staff, as of now we are able to account for 292 students and all the staff."
Kenya has offered a 20 million shilling ($215,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of Mohamed Mohamud, a man labelled "most wanted" and linked to an attack on a university campus on Thursday.
"Seen this man? Report to the security agencies through the numbers provided. #KaaChonjo #GarissaAttack," the Interior Ministry said on its official Twitter feed.
The ministry also showed a picture of Mohamud in a poster.
Al-Shabab gunmen attacked Garissa University College on Thursday, targeting Christians. Witnesses said the gunmen said they were from al-Shabab, a Somali extremist Islamic group, and the group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
