Military pallbearers carry the coffins of four Kenyan soldiers who were killed in Somalia, at a ceremony to receive their bodies which were airlifted to Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Jan. 18, 2016.
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The African Union Mission in Somalia “can confirm that there was an attack on our troops in El-Adde” and more details will be released later, it said on Friday, January15, via its Twitter account.
Two Swedish citizens who US prosecutors said fought alongside the Islamist militant group al Shabaab in Somalia in battles to take control of the country’s capital of Mogadishu were sentenced to 11 years in prison on Friday.
“AMISOM is in Somalia to resurrect stability and help the Somali people and its government in attaining and establishing a secure and harmonic nation.” said Prime Minister Sharmarke.
Egypt also supports the noble duty of the AU peacekeeping mission in Somalia and greatly appreciates sacrifices for security and peace in the African country, the statement further said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya.
The Shebab frequently exaggerates the number of troops they kill, while AMISOM rarely gives exact tolls.
Local elder Hussein Adam said he heard a huge explosion followed by intense gunfire for about 45 minutes, and that the Shebab had overrun the base.
The Shebab, fighting to overthrow Somalia’s internationally-backed and AU-protected government, has launched a string of similar attacks.
In September 2015, Al Shabab militants stormed a Ugandan AMISOM base in Janale district, 80 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu in the Lower Shabelle region. The attackers used vehicles packed with explosives and suicide bombers.
The commander of Somali troops in the Gedo region, General Abbas Ibrahim Gurey, tells VOA’s Somali service that the unit’s commander was given word of a possible attack hours before the first bullet was sacked.
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There was no immediate comment from the Kenyan military or AMISOM, the African Union force in which the Kenyans serve.
