Hardly a day after Kenya Defence Forces repulsed an al Shabaab attack on Mangia camp in Lamu county, jets operating under Amisom in Somalia conducted airstrikes targeting Shabaab camps in Beled-Hawo, Gedo region, killing an unknown number of terrorists.
Apart from the killed militants, a huge cache of weapons and military machinery was destroyed in the morning attack.
Military sources confirmed airstrikes by Kenya fighter jets hit areas where al Shabaab have been hiding in residents’ houses near their camps in Beled-Hawo town. It is believed the terrorists have been launching attacks on Amisom camps from villages.
Although an assessment was still underway yesterday, the airstrikes destroyed six targets, which included technicals (pickups with mounted machine guns).
On Wednesday, four suspected al Shabaab fighters were shot dead by KDF troops in a botched attack in Baure, Lamu county. A KDF soldier injured.
The terrorists were among a group that attempted to attack Baure’s Milimani area the previous night. Soldiers pursued the attackers who had also tried to attack a camp in Mangai and engaged them in a firefight. Four militants were killed and a rocket-propelled grenade, two hand grenades, four AK47 rifles and one improvised explosive device was recovered.
Colonel David Obonyo assured Kenyans operations against al Shabaab will continue until all the terrorists are eliminated so residents can enjoy peace and security.
In January, KDF suffered massive casualties when al Shabaab militants overan their camp in El Adde, Somalia.The attack was described as the worst the forces have ever suffered.
The Star
