MOGADISHU, Somalia – At least 11 al-Shabaab militants killed by Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] in Kudha, Jubaland, a senior military official said during the latest crackdown on the group, which also controls large rural areas of central and southern Somalia.
Wednesday’s KDF operation was the last in Somalia to be carried out and comes as AMISOM troops work hard to implement Somalia’s transition plan. [STP] before officially leaving Somalia.
David Goldman, director of counterterrorism, national security and intelligence analysis at Strategic Intelligence, confirmed the incident on Wednesday mid-morning, adding that two vehicles belonging to the Al- branch Qaeda in Somalia had been destroyed during the air and ground operation.
According to him, the militants were targeting the security forces of Jubaland [JSF] who work closely with the KDF as they return to their base from a patrol. The militants managed to kill seven JSF soldiers, while three were injured, in the attack early in the morning.
“Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] In Kuday, the FOB reinforced the JSF by deploying a gunship and a ground combat patrol unit. The army intercepted the militants and their vehicles along the Kuday-Tosha road and destroyed the vehicles and their occupants, “he said.
“At the same time, special operators took out nine militants who had disengaged from the vehicles,” Goldman added, noting that at least 10 JSF officers were seriously injured and are currently being treated at a military base. KDF.
According to the weekly Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Brief for East Africa, the first ten days of July saw an upsurge in attacks by militants directed against difficult targets. They attempted assassinations and ambushes against government officials.
During the same period under review, al-Shabaab notably carried out a suicide mission and improvised explosive device raids on both security forces and civilian targets. The capital Mogadishu has been widely targeted by militants.
During the reporting period, at least 17 attacks were recorded, all from all parts of Somalia. al-Shabaab notably targeted AMISOM troops in the regions of Gedo, Lower Shabelle, Lower Juba and Bay and Bakool in a number of these attacks. Most raids against targets include ambushes and the placement of roadside IEDs.
Elsewhere, reports indicate that two minibuses loaded with Al-Shabaab militants attacked residents around Jidow in the town of Warsheikh in the early hours of Wednesday morning, prompting a violent shootout according to eyewitnesses.
The activists reportedly tried to force residents to agree to pay zakat. The inhabitants would have pushed back the militants. The Al-Shabaab group typically targets security forces, senior government officials and sometimes innocent civilians in Somalia and across the border.
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