At least nine Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers were killed after a vehicle they were traveling in ran over an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Gedo, Somalia.
Five other military personnel sustained injuries following the Monday afternoon attack and were airlifted back to the country for further treatment, according to officials.
Reports indicate that the military truck was in a convoy that had drawn water from a point inside Kenya and was returning to Somalia when it was hit by the landmine set on the roadside by Al-Shabaab militants at around 1:00 pm.
KDF officials say Al-Shabaab fighters have resorted to deploying IEDs on the main supply routes of the Kenyan soldiers, who have intensified their operations to wipe out the militants in the region.
The attack comes barely three days after four people were killed following an ambush by Al-Shabaab militants on a construction site in Lamu County on Friday.
It was reported that one Chinese national also went missing following the attack that occurred in the Bodhei Majengo area.
The victims included workers constructing the highway from the Lamu Port to Ethiopia and South Sudan, according to police.
The assailants also set one construction vehicle and a motorbike on fire during the attack. They also destroyed a bridge that was under construction at the Majengo-Omolo area.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying six people, including a Chinese national, were killed.
Areas lying close to the Somali border have suffered frequent Al-Shabaab attacks, often conducted with roadside bombs.
Al-Shabaab fighters have been staging frequent attacks in the country in retaliation for Kenya sending troops into Somalia as part of an African Union force to degrade the jihadists.
The al-Qaeda-linked group is seeking to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu and controls swathes of southern Somalia from where it regularly launches attacks in Somalia, Kenya and elsewhere.
In January 2016, at least 147 KDF soldiers were killed following an Al-Shabaab attack on the El Adde KDF base in Somalia’s Gedo region.
The first action Raila needs…
The first action Raila needs to do when he becomes president is pull our forces out of Somalia. The American government won’t take that lightly but he will need to have balls and let them know that too many of our troops are dying in an never ending conflict. The US Marines hauled ass out of that country after they were attacked why would Kenyans stay?
CIC Kiruru should explain…
CIC Kiruru should explain why KDF went to guard Somalians yet Kenyans are being slaughtered like chicken in Laikipia,Baringo,Lamu,Turkana and Porkot.How/Why do they(soldiers) obey orders from a drunkard?
Looks like Al Shabaab are a…
Looks like Al Shabaab are a nightmare for the Kenyan Army.