Eleven suspected al-Shabab fighters have been killed in a firefight outside a military camp in southeastern Kenya’s Lamu County, military officials said. Aljazeera has more:
Military spokesman Colonel David Obonyo said the attack took place early on Sunday morning in the town of Baure, close to the Somali border. “The attack was repulsed. During the firefight, 11 al-Shabab terrorists including two fighters of Caucasian origin were neutralised. Several others fled with injuries towards the forest and hot pursuit is currently under way,” he said.
“Regrettably, the Kenya defence forces … lost two soldiers during the firefight. We appeal to the locals in the area to report to the security agencies anybody seeking medical assistance or any suspicious-looking individuals who might attempt to hide in the area.”
The Somalia-based armed group has carried out several attacks in Kenya in retaliation over the country’s military involvement in Somalia. Al Jazeera’s Catherine Soi, reporting from the Lamu County town of Mpeketoni, said the fighters went to another town in the area before the attack, where they preached at a mosque for about an hour, condemning Kenyan forces for their presence in Somalia.
