Rebel commander ‘killed in ambush’

An Al-Shabaab commander is among 14 militants reported dead after they were ambushed by Kenyan troops in Southern Somalia, the military claimed on Wednesday.

The Kenya Defence Forces named the top Al-Shabaab commander suspected to have been killed by Kenyan troops on Tuesday as Abu Yahya.

“Abu Yahya, who is Al-Shabaab’s field commander in the southern sector is suspected to have been gunned down during the allied forces ambush at an Al-Shabaab camp in the area at 4pm,” KDF spokesman, Major Emmanuel Chirchir, said in a statement.

The statement added that during the ambush at the Dalayat area, 13 other Al-Shabaab fighters were killed by Kenyan troops while scores escaped with serious injuries.

Major Chirchir said that the Kenyan troops also recovered eight machine guns during the attack.

The area where the fighting took place is a stronghold of the militants and doubles up as their command centre for the southern region.

Major Chirchir said that one Kenyan soldier was injured during the ambush and was flown to Garissa military camp for treatment while two others who suffered minor injuries were treated and had resumed duty.

The military crossed into Somalia last October to flush out the militants blamed for frequent attacks at the Coast and parts of northern Kenya.

The military’s ultimate aim is to capture the port of Kismayu used by the militants to collect billions of shillings in illegal taxes.