This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/27/al-shabaab-claims-to-have-killed-dozens-of-kenyan-troops-in-somalia
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Al-Shabaab claims to have killed dozens of Kenyan troops in Somalia | Al-Shabaab claims to have killed dozens of Kenyan troops in Somalia |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Islamic militants in Somalia claim to have killed dozens of Kenyan troops after their fighters overran a remote military base in the country. | Islamic militants in Somalia claim to have killed dozens of Kenyan troops after their fighters overran a remote military base in the country. |
| A spokesman for al-Shabaab, which has been fighting an insurgency in Somalia for more than a decade, said its fighters had killed at least 57 Kenyans deployed with a regional peacekeeping mission at the base in Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border. | |
| Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters news agency the group was still pursuing “the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods” after Friday morning’s attack. | Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters news agency the group was still pursuing “the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods” after Friday morning’s attack. |
| He described how two fighters had driven suicide car bombs into the Kulbiyow base before others stormed it, killing the soldiers and seizing vehicles and weapons. “We have taken over the base,” he said. | |
| Residents told the Voice of America that al-Shabaab fighters appeared to be burning vehicles and buildings. | Residents told the Voice of America that al-Shabaab fighters appeared to be burning vehicles and buildings. |
| A statement from the Kenyan ministry of defence said its troops had been attacked at the base by militants using two car bombs. “[Kenyan] soldiers repulsed the terrorists, killing scores … Currently an intensive pacification operation is under way reinforced by our air and land forces,” the statement said. | A statement from the Kenyan ministry of defence said its troops had been attacked at the base by militants using two car bombs. “[Kenyan] soldiers repulsed the terrorists, killing scores … Currently an intensive pacification operation is under way reinforced by our air and land forces,” the statement said. |
| A series of attacks by al-Shabaab have underlined its resilience in the face of a decade-long effort to eradicate the group in the east African state. | A series of attacks by al-Shabaab have underlined its resilience in the face of a decade-long effort to eradicate the group in the east African state. |
| Earlier this week at least 28 people died in an attack on a hotel in the capital of Mogadishu, which al-Shabaab said it carried out. | |
| Along with the high-profile targets in Mogadishu and elsewhere, the group, an affiliate of al-Qaida, has launched at least four major attacks on military bases in recent years. | |
| In January 2016, al-Shabaab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers at their base in El Adde, near the border. The Kenyan military never gave details of casualties, but credible reports by analysts and media in the region, as well as statements by local politicians, suggested the toll may have been higher. | In January 2016, al-Shabaab said it had killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers at their base in El Adde, near the border. The Kenyan military never gave details of casualties, but credible reports by analysts and media in the region, as well as statements by local politicians, suggested the toll may have been higher. |
| The group, which once controlled much of Somalia, wants to derail presidential polls currently under way, topple the western-backed government and drive out the regional peacekeeping force, the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom). | |
| The losses at El Adde last year were a major embarrassment for Kenya. The heavy defeat was based on poor intelligence, a breakdown in communication between different national units within Amisom, insensitivity towards local communities and basic failures to enforce security around the base. | |
| Repeated campaigns by tens of thousands of African Union and Somali troops, some trained by US special forces, have driven al-Shabaab from major urban strongholds and ports, but they have often struggled to defend smaller, more remote areas. | Repeated campaigns by tens of thousands of African Union and Somali troops, some trained by US special forces, have driven al-Shabaab from major urban strongholds and ports, but they have often struggled to defend smaller, more remote areas. |
| Donald Trump has yet to signal any firm direction on policy in Africa, but analysts believe the new US president will prioritise security issues, particularly the fight against al-Shabaab, al-Qaida and Isis affiliates, such as Boko Haram in Nigeria. In recent years the US has significantly increased its military and counter-terrorism presence on the continent. | |
| The international community has pinned its strategy on successful elections for a new president and national assembly in Somalia. The poll, due to have been completed last year, has been billed by backers as the country’s first truly democratic election for decades, but it has been tarnished by delays, violence and allegations of endemic corruption. | The international community has pinned its strategy on successful elections for a new president and national assembly in Somalia. The poll, due to have been completed last year, has been billed by backers as the country’s first truly democratic election for decades, but it has been tarnished by delays, violence and allegations of endemic corruption. |
| Amisom too has difficulties. Last year Kenya, which contributes 3,600 troops to the 20,000 strong force, and Uganda, which has more than 6,000 troops in Somalia, threatened to withdraw their soldiers if western nations did not plug funding gaps. A number of Ethiopian troops have already been withdrawn. | |
| The US has been conducting drone strikes and other attacks against al-Shabaab for many years. Last year one strike killed more than 150 militants at a training camp. Others have killed senior leaders. | The US has been conducting drone strikes and other attacks against al-Shabaab for many years. Last year one strike killed more than 150 militants at a training camp. Others have killed senior leaders. |
| Trump is expected to name Somalia among seven Muslim-majority countries from which refugees will be banned from entering the US. | Trump is expected to name Somalia among seven Muslim-majority countries from which refugees will be banned from entering the US. |