At Least 50 Kenyan Soldiers Killed in Al-Shabaab Attack on Base in Somalia

Al-Shabaab militants attacked a military base with a peacekeeping contingent in southern Somalia.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – At least 50 Kenyan soldiers were killed when militants attacked a military base in Somalia, Xinhua news agency reported Friday.

AMISOM can confirm that there was an attack on our troops in El-Adde. More to follow with factual details. #Somalia

— AMISOM (@amisomsomalia) 15 января 2016

Kenya Defence Forces press release on #El-AddeAttack. pic.twitter.com/R6aqgZaKQ6

— Abdirahman Issack (@Wajia02) 15 января 2016

Earlier it was reported that Shabab militants attacked a military base with a peacekeeping contingent in southern Somalia.

BREAKING: Residents in El-Adde say militants hoisted their flag at the AU military base nearby, heavy casualties reported. #Somalia #KDF

— Harun Maruf (@HarunMaruf) 15 января 2016

According to Reuters, the gate to the military base was rammed by a truck driven by a suicide bomber terrorist. After crashing the gate, militants entered the base and began fighting.

Al-Shabaab seeks to overthrow the Somali government and impose a strict version of Islam in the country. It has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Somalia and at the border towns of Kenya. Somalia has been mired in a conflict since 1991 when a civil war broke out.