Al-Shabaab bomb attack in Kenya kills 1 soldier, wounds 5

LAMU - Al-Shabaab militants targeted the Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] for the first time in as many months, it has now emerged, in an attack that saw the Al-Qaida linked group use Improvised Explosive Devices [IEDs] alone in the coastal county of Lamu which borders Somalia to the northeast.

According to reports, the Saturday incident left at least one KDF soldier dead and others critically injured after their vehicle rammed into the IED. A total of five soldiers were injured in the incident, the KDF team said in a statement.

Reports indicate that the soldiers, who are attached to the multidisciplinary team manning the region, were on patrol when the incident happened. They had moved to Milima Faru to do routine surveillance according to the statement by the Kenya Defense Forces.

Those in critical condition, KDF added, have since been airlifted to Forces Memorial Hospital in the capital Nairobi for specialized treatment. However, a number of those injured have since been discharged from the local health facility where they were admitted.

"The entire KDF fraternity condoles with the family of our fallen hero and wishes (a) quick recovery to our injured soldiers," the KDF said.

This is the third incident to hit the area in barely a week, leaving five people killed and property destroyed amid rising attacks by suspected members of al-Shabaab in the coastal region in the recent past.

Al-Shabaab has been launching cowardly attacks on Kenyan soil but the incidents have tremendously reduced due to improved surveillance in the country. The KDF team man's critical entry points and for the past few years, the Kenya-Somalia border has been closed due to security reasons.

There is also an influx of Al-Shabaab terrorists from Somalia following the ongoing crackdown which has seen the group lose strategic towns. A number of the militants mostly foreign fighters are using the Kenya border as an escape route to their native countries according to authorities in Kenya.

Northeastern counties of Wajir, Garissa, and Mandera are the worse affected by Al-Shabaab activities in Kenya but the presence of many troops has given a reprieve to locals. Kenya is actively engaged in the peacekeeping missions in Somalia having contributed over 3,500 soldiers to ATMIS.

GAROWE ONLINE