Kenya has launched strikes inside Somalia following last week’s massacre by the militant group al-Shabab. A reported 148 people, mostly students, were killed when gunmen stormed the Garissa University College. The attackers went through the university dorms, separated Muslims from Christians, and killed the Christians. The Kenyan military says it has bombed several al-Shabab bases in retaliation. The strikes come as Kenya has begun three days of mourning. On Sunday, family members lined up at a morgue to identify their loved ones. A teacher from the Garissa region said the government failed to heed calls for protection.

John Nyongesa: “If the government took initiative and had listened to us, today we would have safeguarded the lives of 147 students who perished the other day. We want to appeal to the government, let us put pride away, because we are not going to continue losing Kenyans in such a way. If they don’t listen today, then it means they are waiting for another bigger number, because they were asking, 'Other than the 28 teachers who were killed, do we have any other?' They now have an answer. Northeastern is not safe. Let the government take responsibility because the information had flown.”

One of the four gunmen has been identified as the son of a Kenyan government official. Al-Shabab has called the attack revenge for Kenya’s military operations in Somalia as well as for the mistreatment of Kenyan Muslims. It was the group’s deadliest attack to date and the worst in Kenya since the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy.