Somali al-Shabab militants behead nine Kenyans in gruesome cross-border raid

Nine Kenyan civilians have been brutally murdered by Somali militants following a cross border raid by al-Shabab into Kenya.

The victims were beheaded with knives after al-Qaeda-linked Somali fighters launched a raid on Jima village in south-east Kenya, which lies close to the Somali border.

Villagers were rounded up by militants before the bloody executions took place.

"They raided Jima and Pandanguo villages and killed nine men. They were slaughtered like chickens, using knives," a witness told Reuters.

There has been no immediate details about the situation from the Kenyan authorities who told local media they are assessing the situaition.

Kenya's interior ministry imposed a state of emergency in three provinces close to the Somali border following the attack.

Three police officers were killed by al-Shabab militants earlier this week following a raid on their post in Kenya.

Bombings and raids by al-Shabab militants into Kenya have taken place in the past - including the bloody Westgate shopping centre massacre - but beheadings by the group outside Somalia are rare.

Kenya has sent troops into Somalia to fight the extremist group which still controls large areas of the East African state and launches frequent, bloody attacks in the capital.

There are concerns that next month's election could be taken advantage of by al-Shabab militants, with security forces likely stretched to prevent a breakout in violence between rival Kenyan groups.