US condemns Kenya bus attack, terms it 'horrific'

The US condemned "in the strongest terms", the attack on a bus in Kenya that killed 28 people, terming it as "horrific".

The US extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the 28 individuals killed in the attack, Bernadette Meehan, spokesperson for White House's National Security Council, said in a statement, according to a Xinhua report.

Militants are reported to have attacked the Nairobi-bound bus, carrying 60 passengers, in Mandera county in northern Kenya at dawn Saturday and massacred 28 people.

Somali Al-Shabaab militants have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it was carried out in response to the killings and arrests of Muslims in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa.

"The US stands with our Kenyan partners in the effort to counter the threat of terrorism and affirms our ongoing commitment to working with all Kenyans to combat these atrocities, " the White House spokesperson, Meehan said.

Kenya had sent troops across the border into Somalia in 2011 and parts of northern and eastern Kenya have been hit by a series of blasts, with many targeting security forces and humanitarian workers.