Kenyan Forces Repel Suspected Al-Shabaab Night Attack Near Somalia Border Military Base
Officials said no soldiers were killed or wounded and that the camp was left undamaged.
NAIROBI – Kenyan security forces repelled a suspected Al-Shabaab assault on a military base in Mandera County near the Somalia border, officials said on Thursday, after armed men opened fire on the camp during the night.
Security officials said the attack took place on Wednesday evening when a group believed to number about 10 militants targeted a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) camp in Lafey district. The assailants are said to have fired from roughly 600 metres away from the military position.
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Troops inside the base reacted immediately, and gunfire erupted in a brief exchange that lasted several minutes before the attackers pulled back without getting past the perimeter.
Officials said no soldiers were killed or wounded and that the camp was left undamaged.
Kenyan authorities said security had been tightened in border areas after the incident, while search operations were under way to identify and pursue those behind the attempted attack.
No group had claimed responsibility at the time, but the incident carried the familiar pattern of Somalia-based Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, which has repeatedly launched cross-border raids and attacks in Kenya in response to Nairobi’s military deployment in Somalia.
Mandera County, which lies along the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia, has remained one of the country’s most volatile areas, with militants frequently targeting security forces, civilians and infrastructure despite stepped-up counterterrorism efforts by Kenyan authorities.
AXADLETM
