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Kenya president says his troops killed by Somali extremists | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Kenya’s president said on Friday that Kenyan troops were killed when al-Shabab Islamic fighters attacked an African Union base in Somalia. He gave no casualty figure but an al-Shabab spokesman said at least 63 soldiers died. | |
President Uhuru Kenyatta described the loss as heartbreaking. | |
“Regrettably, some of our patriots in uniform paid the ultimate price,” he said in a statement. “I want to take this opportunity to express mine and the country’s deepest sympathy to the families and loved ones of the fallen. I stand with you. Our country stands with you.” | |
Al-Shabab spokesman Abdiaziz Abu Mudan said on the group’s online radio that at least 63 soldiers were killed in the attack in southwestern Somalia that started early Friday. | |
It happened in the town of El-Ade, not far from the Kenyan border. Kenya has provided a major contingent to the AU force which is fighting al-Shabab, a Somali Islamic extremist group linked with al-Qaida, and assisting the elected government of Somalia. The peacekeeping mission, known as AMISOM, said in a Twitter update that it troops had been attacked but gave no more details. | |
Somali military official Ahmed Hassan, speaking to The Associated Press by phone from Elwak, a nearby town, said the attack started with a suicide car bomb, and then heavy gunfire was heard as militants stormed into the base. | |
Despite being pushed out of Somalia’s major cities and towns, al-Shabab continues to launch deadly guerrilla attacks across the Horn of Africa country. AU troops, government officials and foreigners are frequently targeted. | |
Last September, 19 Ugandan soldiers were killed when al-Shabab fighters stormed an AU base in southern Somalia. | |
The group, which has ties with al-Qaida, has also carried out many deadly attacks inside Kenya. | The group, which has ties with al-Qaida, has also carried out many deadly attacks inside Kenya. |
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |