Two bombs exploded in a market in Kenya's capital on Friday, killing 10 people and injuring 70 as hundreds of British tourists were evacuated from a coastal area where Islamic extremists have operated. Nairobi Police Chief Benson Kibue, who announced the casualty figures, said two improvised explosive devices detonated in a market area near downtown Nairobi with one bomb damaging a mini-van used for public transportation.
TUI Travel, which owns the British tourism companies Thomson and First Choice, evacuated customers on flights Thursday and Friday and canceled all flights to the coastal city of Mombasa until October. The British government had urged British citizens to leave Mombasa and nearby beach towns.
The United States and Britain were among several nations renewing warnings of possible terror attacks. Earlier this week, the U.S. warned for the first time that the embassy itself is taking new steps to increase security "due to recent threat information regarding the international community in Kenya." Al-Qaida detonated a massive bomb by the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi in 1988, killing more than 200 people.
The U.S. Embassy's security posture has increased in recent days. Armed Marines now patrol the embassy grounds in bulletproof vests and helmets. Emergency drills tell embassy staff: "Duck and cover, duck and cover."
"We know from experience whether it's been in Yemen where embassies have been attacked or in Benghazi where our consulate and ambassador was attacked, anything that is a symbol of a foreign country is a potential target," said Scott Gration, a former U.S. ambassador here.
As for the evacuations of British tourists, many tourism companies have insurance policies that don't allow travelers to be in high-risk locations, noted Gration, a retired U.S. Air Force major general who runs a technology and investment consultancy in Nairobi.
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