KDF soldier killed, three injured in Al Shabaab ambush in Lamu

LAMU COUNTY: A Kenyan soldier was killed Wednesday morning in an ambush at Basuba in Lamu by suspected Al-Shabaab militiamen.

The victim who was in a military convoy headed for Somalia's Ras Kamboni town was killed after the militiamen emerged from a forest and opened fire.

And Kenya Defence Forces said the soldiers killed eight militants – five on the spot – during the fierce gun battle.

The Standard established that the soldiers who came under attack Wednesday were part of Kenya's contingent to the UN African Mission in Somalia and were headed to Ras Kamboni where Kenya's military has a base.

The convoy attacked involved five trucks and soldiers from the 15 battalion of the Kenya Army in Mariakani, Mombasa.

Three soldiers were injured, according to a spokesman of the Kenyan Defence Forces Colonel David Obonyo, following hours of fierce crossfire between the Kenyan soldiers and the militants. The injured were flown to several hospitals in Mombasa.

Colonel Obonyo told The Standard that Kenyan soldiers killed eight militants, five of them on the spot.

He said the soldiers pursued the attackers into the Boni forest and killed three militants.

"Our soldiers were attacked at Basuba area at around 11.20 this morning. We have one casualty," Colonel Obonyo said Wednesday, adding that "our soldiers were attacked while heading to Ras Kamboni [and] were part of AMISOM (the UN African military mission in Somalia)."

Colonel described the contact between the two sides as "an ambush" to which the "soldiers reacted very swiftly."

It is not clear when the soldiers from the 15 battalion started the journey to Somalia but a local chief told The Standard that the trucks passed through Bar'goni village around 7am.

The chief claimed that several hours later, huge blasts were heard from the direction of Basuba, several dozen kilometres away, an indication that heavy weapons were used in the attack and exchange. Basuba is about 100 kilometres North East of Lamu town.

Kenya Red Cross co-ordinator for Lamu Mohamed Abdikadir told The Standard that he had received reports that "five military vehicles were ambushed between Milimani and Basuba" but added that "we are yet to know the number of casualties."

Abdikadir said resident of Bar'goni, which is about 60 kilometres away from Basuba, reported hearing huge explosions.

Wednesday's ambush was the second against Kenya's soldiers by Al Shabaab this month. Three soldiers were injured when suspected Al-Shabaab militants attacked a Kenya military vehicle head for Ras Kamboni between Hindi and Kiunga.

On May 25, last year, militants attacked Kenya military vehicles at Milimani near Hindi in Lamu and killed two soldiers. Eight soldiers were reported missing after the attack but returned to a nearby military post after two days.