Reports have emerged that Somalia’s al Shabaab, the Islamist group, has carried out an attack on a military base in Kenya. This base is utilized by both the U.S. and Kenyan forces.
The assault reportedly occurred on Sunday, January 5, 2020, in Lamu county.
According to a military source who confirmed the attack to Reuters, “They have attacked Manda airstrip in Lamu, which is just next to the military camp that hosts military personnel from many countries including Kenya and the U.S. We are informed that fighting is still ongoing.”
The source also mentioned that the fighters were attempting to gain access to the base from the airstrip.
Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked insurgent group, has released a statement vowing to carry out further attacks.
“An elite group of soldiers from Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen’s ‘Martyrdom Brigade’ launched a daring dawn raid on a U.S. naval base known as ‘Camp Simba’ in Lamu County, Kenya,” the al Shabaab statement read. “The base is home to hundreds of U.S. military personnel and Kenyan soldiers and serves as one of the many launch pads for the American crusade against Islam in the region.”
While there are no immediate reports of casualties, this attack comes a year after al Shabaab perpetrated a lethal suicide attack at the 14 Riverside complex in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, resulting in the deaths of 21 individuals.