Alwaght- Kenyan forces have killed on 34 Al-Shabab Takfiri terrorist over the last two days in ongoing military operations against the al Qaeda affiliate in Somalia.
In a statement, The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) said on its troops killed 21 Al-Shabab terrorists in a shootout in Lower Juba Region in Somalia and recovered weapons. Two Kenyan troops were also killed in the Saturday afternoon shootout. The KDF also recovered 19 AK-47 rifles, three rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and a pistol. A Kenya army spokesman Col. David Obonyo said that a convoy of KDF troops operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) was on their way to Afmadow when they engaged Al-Shabab terrorists who had laid an ambush in the Lower Juba Region. On Wednesday last week, the Kenyan troops also killed 19 Al-Shabab terrorists in Afmadow and recovered a vehicle, 10 AK-47 rifles and three RPGs.
Additionally on Sunday, KDF has added yet another success after killing 13 Al-Shabab militants at Sarira in Lacta Belt, 30km north of Ras Kamboni. Spokesperson Col. Obonyo said that the extremists were pursued “following information of an intended probe attack. Following the incident, a middle level Al-Shabab Commander has been detained.”Also, eight AK 47 rifles, two PKM machine guns, two Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG) and ammunition were confiscated.
The Kenyan government sent over 3,000 troops to Somalia in late 2011 after the al-Shabab terrorists carried out a series of raids inside the country. Al-Shabab has vowed to continue fatal cross-border raids until the government in Nairobi pulls its troops out of Somalia. Somalia has been the scene of deadly fighting between government forces and al-Shabab elements since 2006.
The terrorists have been pushed out of Mogadishu and other major cities by government troops and the AMISOM, which is largely made up of troops from Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, and Kenya. Al-Shabab terrorists have, however, continued to carry out attacks in the Somali capital Mogadishu despite being ousted from their bases in the seaside city in 2011.
Al Shabab terrorists are known to be affiliated to the global al Qaeda terrorist group. However, in January ISIS terrorist group in Libya released a new video showing two fighters calling for al-Shabab fighters to join ISIS's new franchise in Somalia. The al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabab reacted aggressively, hunting down the ISIS dissenters in a series of ambushes and attacks. It remains keen to expand in the Horn of Africa, looking to form a new franchise, made up of rebellious terrorists formerly with al-Shabab.
