Kenya Defence Force (KDF) spokesman David Obonyo said Kenyan troops serving under AMISOM and Somalia National Army (SNA) soldiers suffered casualties but added that the numbers are yet to be confirmed since consolidation was still going on.
“In light of this unfortunate incident, KDF has increased its military operations against the Al-Shabaab militia in a bid to contain the situation in Elade and its environs,” Obonyo said.
He assured the country that Kenyan troops under AMISOM are doing all they can to consolidate the situation in the shortest time possible. The Friday attack by Al-Shabaab was one of the most daring and devastating incidents.
The number of dead and injured at Elade near the Kenya border was not known, but the toll was believed to be high and fighting was still underway late on Friday. Reports say some of the militants were still holed up in the area.
Al-Shabaab claimed it killed 63 soldiers, however, AMISOM spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna has dismissed that figure as “propaganda”.
Meanwhile, the Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Francisco Madeira has strongly condemned the dawn attack on its base by Al-Shabaab militants.
In a statement, Madeira said the Islamist militants were engaged by AMISOM troops on the ground and later repulsed.
“There were casualties and injuries registered during the fighting that ensued, details of which are still being verified. AMISOM commends the fast response and gallantry exhibited by its troops,” he said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.
The AU envoy said such attacks further demonstrate the vile nature of Al-Shabaab, whose sole purpose is to spread terror and continue the destabilization of Somalia.
“Our resolve can only be rejuvenated, to fight on until Somalia is freed of all elements of terror,” Madeira said and sent his condolences to the families of the soldiers whose lives have been sacrificed for the cause of peace and stability in Somalia.
The incident began at 4.am when a suicide bomber drove a car loaded with explosives into the gate. Then fighters opened up with machine guns, forcing Somali soldiers to flee.
KDF troops from a nearby camp launched a counter strike with gunners and mobile artillery but met heavy resistance in a full-blown battle involving mortars.
Kenya fighter jets were positioned to Somalia’s Gedo region to provide aerial support and several suspected militants’ strongholds were reported hit.
Meanwhile, two civil society organizations have called on Kenyan government withdraw its troops in Somalia in wake of latest attacks.
The Coalition for Constitution Implementation Kenya (CCI Kenya) and Partners in conjunction with the Global Campaign on Military Spending Africa (GCOMS Africa) urged the government to station the soldiers at border points to avert further losses of lives.
“CCI Kenya and GCOMS Africa also take this opportunity to ask the Kenyan Government to expedite the withdrawal of the KDF from Somalia and station them at Border Points to avert further loses of lives to the detriment of Kenyan families,” the organizations said in a joint statement issued in Nairobi.
They note that continued presence of KDF in Somalia contributes to the increasing Kenya’s military expenditure to the detriment of Kenyan budgetary allocations to other critical sectors like public service delivery, climate justice, social justice and human rights which have a net effect of long term stability and peace.
Kenya has more than 4,000 troops in the 22,000-strong AU force in Somalia helping the UN-backed government battle Al-Shabaab, which is part of the Al-Qaida allied terror network.
Kenya is currently engaged in the fight against the militia group in southern Somalia where it has been registering impressive gains and extending humanitarian assistance to the local population.
Al-Shabaab has however, vowed reprisal attacks in the country, mainly targeting security forces in border towns of northern Kenya where dozens of people have been killed in landmine and grenade attacks blamed on the militant group.
Al-Shabaab has said it views the presence of Kenyan troops in southern Somalia as an act of war and is now vowing an all-out war in Kenya, in protest against the military incursion against our brothers in Somalia. Enditem
Source:Xinhua
