Five Kenyans killed in war on Al-Shabaab

Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, Gen Julius Karangi

What you need to know:

  • KDF says it has recovered bodies of its three soldiers and is yet to find those of the other two

Five Kenyan soldiers were killed in the fighting that culminated in the capture of Miido town near Afmadow in southern Somalia last week.

There were reports following the Friday battle that five Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers went missing and that three had been rescued on Saturday.

But on Thursday, KDF said it had recovered the bodies of three of its soldiers while two are still missing.

The two bodies are believed to be among the four displayed by Al-Shabaab in Kismayu on Saturday.

On Thursday, the Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, Gen Julius Karangi, paid tribute to all the soldiers involved in the war against Al-Shabaab for their bravery.

KDF, which is fighting as part of the African Union Mission in Somalia, is pushing towards Kismayu, the last bastion of Al-Qaeda-linked rebels in southern Somalia.

KDF said nearly 100 rebels were killed during the capture of Miido and follow-up operations.

Five Kenyans wounded in the fighting are being treated in Garissa and Nairobi.

Gen Karangi said in a statement released by KDF spokesman Cyrus Oguna that the capture of Miido town was an “important operation”.

Kenyan troops, together with the allied forces, the Somali National Army (SNA) and the Ras Kamboni Brigade, started advancing from Afmadow through Miido, Bibi and Jana Cabdala towards Kismayu from August 29.

They first raided a Shabaab position at Agliba and killed 43 militants and recovered two pick-ups fitted with machine guns, eight AK-47 rifles and one rocket-propelled grenade.

During the capture of Agliba, one SNA soldier was injured. However, the Kenyan military suffered fatalities on August 31 during the capture of Miido town.

“During the capture, over 36 Al-Shabaab militants were killed and seven technicals (improvised fighting vehicles) destroyed. Follow-up air strikes neutralised over 70 Al-Shabaab militants who were fleeing,” the statement from KDF reads.