Kenyan troops kill 21 al Shabaab militants in Somalia

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said on Wednesday that they had killed 21 al Shabaab militants in Dobley area, Somalia.

#OpsUpdate The firefight that ensued in Hawina resulted in the killing of the 21 terrorists with no casualties on KDF.

— Kenya Defence Forces (@kdfinfo) May 25, 2016

According to KDF spokesperson, Colonel David Obonyo, the troops launched an attack on the militants after one of them shot at KDF soldiers who were en-route to Tabda from Dobley.

Obonyo added that among those killed was a junior level commander, Salad Bart, who is believed to have been in charge of the group of militants participating in the ambush.

“Following the shooting, KDF troops started patrolling the area to flush out al Shabaab terrorists. At around 10 am, the troops engaged al Shabaab terrorists who were attempting to mount an ambush along the road to Tabda ,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

About 17 AK-47 rifles and an assortment of other ammunition were recovered after the incident.

Colonel Obonyo further stated that KDF will remain vigilant and continue its efforts in the fight against the al-shabaab.

The troops have been operating under the Africa Union mission (AMISOM) since February 2012 to crack down on the al-Qaeda linked insurgents.