Two Kenyan soldiers killed in Somalia mortar attack – Al Shabab

At least two Kenyan soldiers were killed, and two others were wounded when Al Shabaab militants launched a mortar attack on their base in Somalia’s Lower Jubba region.

A local resident, speaking anonymously to Mareeg Online, described the scene as mortar rounds rained down on the troops’ base in Kulbiyow—just 18 km from the Somali-Kenyan border. In response, Kenyan troops retaliated, firing back at the positions from which the attack originated.

“The explosions were deafening, a relentless barrage of fire. I don’t know if anyone was killed or wounded because I found cover from the shelling,” he said.

Al Shabaab, the militant group linked to al-Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for a recent bombing, asserting that it killed two Kenyan soldiers and injured two others. They also alleged that U.S. military personnel were present during the mortar strike, a claim that remains independently unverified.

The Kenyan military has yet to issue a statement regarding the attack.

In a related clash on Saturday, fierce fighting erupted as Al Shabaab militants, armed with RPGs and machine guns, ambushed a military base manned by Somali forces between Qalimow and Hawadley in the Middle Shabelle region.

The skirmish ignited nearly an hour of intense gunfire, with both sides employing heavy and light weaponry. Somali military officials reported that they successfully repelled the ambush, inflicting significant casualties on the militants.

According to Andalus, the group’s radio station, five soldiers were killed and six others wounded in the brutal exchange.

Al Shabaab also claimed responsibility for an ambush on a base manned by Ethiopian troops near Wajid town in the Bakol region, resulting in another fierce clash. Initial reports suggest the troops defended their position successfully, but details about casualties on either side remain murky.

Wajid, along with several other towns in the Bakol region, has been under an Al Shabaab blockade, complicating the security situation and restricting the movement of goods and humanitarian assistance to the region.

Despite losing control of many towns, the al-Qaeda-linked terror group has intensified its attacks since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” to remove the militant group from Somalia.

Driven out of the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 by Somali army and African Union troops, the extremist group still carries out deadly attacks. They have been battling for more than a decade to topple the Somali government and establish a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Al Shabaab continues to hold large swaths of territory in the south and central regions, from which it is believed to launch deadly attacks against military bases of Somali National Army forces, African Union peacekeepers, and the capital, Mogadishu.

Source » mareeg.com