40 Al-Shabaab fighters gunned down

Troops from Kenya and Somali government on Wednesday killed at least 40 Al-Shabaab fighters and wounded many others in the latest fighting in southern part of the Horn of Africa nation, military official said. Military spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said the early morning raid on an Al-Shabaab base, about 8 km east of Hosingo, was carried out by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and Transitional Federal Government of Somalia troops on patrol backed by KDF jet fighters. “Today between 0500hrs and 0800hrs, KDF and TFG troops on patrol supported by KDF jet fighters raided an Al-Shabaab base 8 km east of Hosingo. During the raid, 40 Al-Shabaab fighters were confirmed neutralized, 30 AK 47 rifles captured including 1 Doshika and 1 PKM,” Chirchir said in a brief statement. The ambush came as the east African nation’s troops have formally joined the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).Kenyan forces that crossed into Somalia mid October last year have intensified military crackdown inside southern Somalia to push back Al-Shabaab, blamed by Kenya for a series of cross-border kidnappings. “Initial battle damage assessment from the raid indicates that eight technical vehicles and one land cruiser belonging to Al- Shabaab were destroyed. Several Al-Shabaab members were also wounded,” he said. Chirchir said the key base of insurgents blamed for a series of grenade and landmine attacks on the east African nation was completely destroyed and the Al-Shabaab members who escaped towards Bibi are being pursued. He said, however, two TFG personnel were killed, six injured and three KDF troops were slightly injured during the early morning combat and are back on duty. “KDF is in hot pursuit of many Al-Shabaab wounded and headed towards Geres and Baghad. Al-Shabaab fighters are said to have been under Godane. We have not confirmed if it is Godane the overall Al-Shabaab leader,” Chirchir said. Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October to push back Al- Shabaab, which controls large sections of southern and central Somalia, and is blamed by Kenya for a series of cross-border kidnappings. The militant group has also come under pressure from African Union peacekeepers, who pushed them out of the Somali capital Mogadishu in August, and from Ethiopia, which seized the town of Beledweyne on Saturday. The Kenyan troops have been moving in all sectors in southern Somalia after making several advances on key towns following a fierce battle with the insurgents who have since joined al Qaida network. The east African nation has been beleaguered by a spate of grenade and landmine attacks since it launched cross border incursion into neighboring Somalia to pursue the al Qaeda allied Al-Shabaab militant group. The troops have since “liberated” several towns in Southern Somalia but the ultimate aim is to capture Kismayu, regarded as the nerve centre of Al-Shabaab’s operations in the region.

National

40 Al-Shabaab fighters gunned down