Over 70 al-Shabab killed in attack on Kenyan troops

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI (AA) – More than 70 al-Shabab militants were killed Friday after they stormed a military base in Kulibuyow in Somalia’s Lower Jubba region near the border with Kenya, according to the Kenyan military.

Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) spokesman Lt. Col. Paul Njuguna said nine soldiers were killed in a violent gun battle between more than 100 militants and Kenyan soldiers operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

“During the engagement, KDF lost two officers and seven servicemen were killed. Over 70 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed and scores wounded in the attack,” Njuguna said, adding that 15 seriously injured soldiers were taken to the Defense Forces Memorial Hospital in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

The unsuccessful attack occurred at dawn when the al-Qaeda-linked militants, who were supported by two Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED), ambushed the Kenyan military base.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack via pro-insurgent radio, Andalus, “At least 57 unbelievers, soldiers, and police” were killed in the assault, it said.

The militant group last January staged another deadly attack on a Kenyan military base in El Adde, Somalia, in which more than 60 Kenyans were reportedly killed.

The Kenyan government, however, did not release official figures.