GARISSA, KENYA (ANS) -- Leaders from both Kenya's Christian and Muslim communities are joining forces to prevent violence from erupting following deadly attacks on churches.

According to Efrem Graham, News Anchor & Reporter, www.cbn.com  , Muslims are pledging to join Christians to guard churches in the country's North Eastern Province, where the most recent attacks took place.

CBN says Father Nicholas Mutua pointed to the many signs of a weekend grenade attack at the Catholic church in Garissa, where at least three people were wounded.

"Today we were attacked. Those people who came, they threw some grenades from outside over the fence," Mutua said.

Voice of the Martyrs' Todd Nettleton spoke to Christian World News about the situation in Kenya and Somalia. Watch his comments, following this report http://tinyurl.com/cn27rf8  

The CBN story says the explosion was one of two simultaneous attacks on churches that made headlines in Kenya Sunday.

The blasts at the African Inland Church and the Catholic church killed at least 15 people, including two police officers, CBN reported.

"From our sister church, A.I.C., I went to the mortuary and I saw 14 bodies - 14 bodies in the mortuary. Two police officers who were shot on the head," Father Mutua said.

"The attackers, one of whom was injured in the attack, escaped immediately, and they are also said to have fled away with two police guns," he added.

CBN says Kenyan police are investigating the incidents. But many people blame al-Shabab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group from Somalia, since Garissa is just 120 miles from the Somali border.

CBN went on to report that political observers say the deadly explosions are meant to trigger sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims.

Safari Musembi witnessed one of the attacks. He said he remembers the grenade landing near him and a friend that he pulled to safer place.

Musembi is one of at least 40 people still recovering from injuries.

** Michael Ireland is the Senior International Correspondent for ANS. He is an international British freelance journalist who was formerly a reporter with a London (United Kingdom) newspaper and has been a frequent contributor to UCB UK, a British Christian radio station. While in the UK, Michael traveled to Canada and the United States, Albania,Yugoslavia, Holland, Germany,and Czechoslovakia. He has reported for ANS from Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Israel, Jordan, China,and Russia. Michael's volunteer involvement with ASSIST News Service is a sponsored ministry department -- 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' (MIMM) -- of A.C.T. International of P.O.Box 1649, Brentwood, TN 37024-1649, at: Artists in Christian Testimony (A.C.T.) International where you can make a donation online under 'Donate' tab, then look for 'Michael Ireland Media Missionary' under 'Donation Category' to support his stated mission of 'Truth Through Christian Journalism.' Michael is a member in good standing of the National Writers Union, Society of Professional Journalists, Religion Newswriters Association, Evangelical Press Association and International Press Association. If you have a news or feature story idea for Michael, please contact him at: ANS Senior International Reporter