News / Somalia

Kenyan troops kill 31 Shabab militants in Somalia's Jubbaland

Monday, 27 March 2017 1:01 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 27 March 2017 1:41 PM ]

This file photo shows troops serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forming a secure perimeter during a patrol near the village of Modmoday, some 40 kilometers east of the central Somali town of Baidoa. (Photo by AFP)

Kenyan troops deployed in neighboring Somalia have carried out a raid on militants of the al-Shabab Takfiri group, killing at least 31 of them.

The Kenyan military said on Monday that two bases of al-Shabab militants in Somalia had been targeted in the raid, which took place a day earlier in the southern region of Jubbaland.

"Ground troops were supported by attack helicopters and artillery fire," the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) said in a statement, adding that 11 AK-47 assault rifles, communications equipment and uniforms were captured from the militants during the raid.

Al-Shabab has yet to comment on the Kenyan military operation in the Baadhade district of Jubbaland. The al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group has a history of attacks on Kenyan soil, prompting the East African country to deploy thousands of its forces in Somalia as part of a regional mission to combat the militant group.

The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which includes soldiers from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia, and some other African countries, has managed to curb al-Shabab’s attacks and improve security in Somalia.

This handout photo taken on October 15, 2013 shows troops serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forming a secure perimeter during a patrol near the village of Modmoday, some 40 kilometers east of the central Somali town of Baidoa. (Photo by AFP)

Kenya said in early March that its forces had killed some 60 suspected al-Shabab militants during a raid in southern Somalia.

The massive operation came after militants targeted a Kenyan military base in the town of Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border. Kenyan authorities said that nine soldiers had lost their lives in the assault, while al-Shabab claimed it had killed at least 66 people.

Read more:

Kenya forces kill nearly 60 Shabab militants

Al-Shabab militants have been pushed out of all major urban strongholds and ports, but they continue to stage attacks on targets in smaller, more remote areas.

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