According to the The Star reporting on 16 February 2018, suspected al-Shabaab militants have killed three non-local teachers at Qasar Primary School in Wajir County, northeastern Kenya. The victims were attacked while asleep at 1am. The Star reported on 20 February 2018 that a suspect has been arrested by police. World Watch Monitor confirmed on 21 February 2018 that the three teachers were Christians. Yonas Dembele, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "In northeastern Kenya, Christians have been facing tremendous challenges in the last years, with several Christians being beheaded in front of their homes in 2017. These are not spontaneous or isolated incidents. They are systematic and designed to drive Christians out of the region. This school attack is part of a wider strategy employed by al-Shabaab to intimidate Christians and drive them out of the region."