Kenyan jets bomb Al-Shabaab bases

Kenyan fighter jets attacked two Al-Shabaab bases in southern Somalia as the military operation to defeat the militants entered its fourth month.

The bases targeted in the Sunday attacks are in Jilib town, the militants’ last defensive position before the port city of Kismayu.

Somalia media reports, which were corroborated by the Kenya military, said Kenyan warplanes dropped bombs in an Al-Shabaab camp called Sakhawedin, which is used to store food and ammunition.

A public radio station quoted residents recounting how they saw a huge smoke billowing from the Al-Shabaab camp late on Sunday.

“Sunday 15, January, at about 1.30pm Kenya Air Force jets bombed an Al-Shabaab Command Centre in Jilib, middle Juba, destroying the facility and injuring multiple Al-Shabaab militants. However, the number of casualties is yet to be established,” said the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman, Major Emmnuel Chirchir (above), in a statement.

“On the same day, at about 1400hrs, the jets bombed Al-Shabaab defensive positions at Bibi, south of Afmadow, destroying eight vehicles, among them four technicals. Several Al-Shabaab fighters are likely to have died,” he said.

It was the second time KDF attacked Al-Shabaab bases in the town since the operation started on October 16, last year.

On October 30, last year, Kenyan jet fighters attacked the militants’ positions in Jilib and killed 14 fighters but aid agencies said the raid claimed the lives of civilians.

Residents around the raided area fled their homes over fears of follow-up attacks, local media reported.

Other reports claimed a family of seven and several Al-Shabaab militants were killed in the Sunday attacks but this could not be independently verified. Read (Al-Shabaab forcing youth to join army)

The Kenyan military has denied reports that the attacks targeted civilians.

The ultimate aim of the military operation has been to capture Kismayu, regarded as the nerve centre of Al-Shabaab’s operations in the region.