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Kenyan troops kill 10 Al-Shabaab fighters in southern Somalia

24 November 2011 18:19 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Kenyan soldiers in pursuit of Al- Shabaab fighters blamed for a series of abductions have killed 10 insurgents and wounded eight others in separate encounters in the south of the lawless nation, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Military spokesman Major Emmanuel Chirchir said on Thursday seven of the militants were killed on Wednesday when the Kenyan soldiers backed by troops from the Somali government struck two training camps in Badade town.

"Battle damage assessment on Al-Shabaab camps air strikes by Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) in Wamaitho and Kisimi indicate seven Al-Shabaab were killed and eight injured," Chirchir said on Thursday.

The military spokesman said the dual military operation involving the Kenya Defense Forces and the Transitional Federal Governmental (TFG) of Somalia soldiers also killed three insurgents and recovered two guns on Thursday in Hawina town which lies between Dobley and Tabda towns.

"Today, KDF and TFG troops attacked an Al-Shabaab training camp in the town of Hawina, which is between the towns of Dobley and Tabda. During this engagement three Al-Shabaab were killed and 2 AK-47 rifles captured," Chirchir said.

He said the confrontation which took place in the central sector also saw several Al-Shabaab militias escape with injuries.

The latest development came hours after the Kenyan military confirmed that one soldier was killed and 12 others wounded when their truck drove over an explosive device, near Kenya’s borders with Somalia and Ethiopia.

Chirchir said the explosion happened as the soldiers were on patrol in the town of Mandera. He said five seriously wounded soldiers were airlifted to the town of Garissa for treatment, but one died of his wounds. Chirchir said 13 troops were on board the truck.

The blast was the latest of several grenade and roadside bomb attacks in Kenya since Kenyan troops entered Somalia to hunt down members of the militant group Al-Shabaab.

The East African nation blames the group for a string of attacks and kidnappings in Kenya, including those of four Europeans. The Kenyan government says the kidnappings threaten tourism, a key source of revenue for the country.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting since 2008 to topple Somalia’s weak central government. The group is believed to have ties to al- Qaeda, and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.