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http://www.nigrizia.it/ Lunedì 30 gennaio 2017
Somalia: attacco kamikaze a una base militare kenyana. Incerto il numero di vittime
Le truppe keniane in Somalia sono state impegnate venerdì scorso in una massiccia controffensiva aerea e terrestre contro al-Shabaab, in risposta ad un attacco alla base delle Kenya Defence Force (Kdf) a Kolbiyow, a pochi chilometri dal confine kenyano. L’attacco è avvenuto poco prima dell’alba con un’autobomba lanciata contro il cancello d’ingresso alla base ma, secondo quanto dichiarato dal colonnello Paul Njuguna, i terroristi sarebbero stati respinti - e 70 di loro uccisi - dai militari in forza all’Amisom. Nello scontro, 2 soldati e 7 membri del personale sarebbero morti e 15 altri feriti. Diversa la versione degli al-Shabaab, che sostengono d’aver ucciso più di 50 soldati, di essersi appropriati di armi e veicoli, e di aver preso il controllo dell’intera area. L'attacco è stato compiuto pochi giorni dopo il primo anniversario di un’azione simile, avvenuta il 15 gennaio 2016 contro la base di El-Ade, in cui morirono più di 100 soldati keniani. Pochi giorni prima, inoltre, le Kdf avevano riconquistato la città di Badhaadhe. (Global Times / Bbc)
https://www.theguardian.com/international Friday 27 January 2017
Witnesses say dozens killed in al-Shabaab attack on Kenyan troops By Jason Burke
Islamic militant group says it killed at least 57 soldiers in takeover of peacekeeping base in Kulbiyow, Somalia
Witnesses have confirmed claims that Islamic militants killed dozens of Kenyan troops in an attack on a remote military base in Somalia. A spokesman for al-Shabaab, which has been fighting an insurgency in Somalia for more than a decade, said on Friday morning that its fighters had killed at least 57 Kenyans deployed with a regional peacekeeping mission at the base in Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border. Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told the Reuters news agency that the group was still pursuing “the Kenyan soldiers who ran away into the woods” after the attack. He described how two fighters had driven suicide car bombs into the Kulbiyow base before others stormed it, killing the soldiers and seizing vehicles and weapons. “We have taken over the base,” he said. Kenyan military officials dismissed the claims as “completely false”. Kenya’s defence ministry said militants had attacked the base using two car bombs, but it added: “[Kenyan] soldiers repulsed the terrorists, killing scores … Currently an intensive pacification operation is under way reinforced by our air and land forces.” Captain Nur Muhidin, a Somali national army officer stationed in Kulbiyow, said the troops spotted the al-Shabaab convoy before the attack and shelled it with mortars. Muhidin described an intense firefight that continued for close to an hour before the militants secured the complex. He said the base had been manned by at least 120 Kenyan soldiers deployed with the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) and dozenshad been killed in the attack. Local forces were also among the casualties. “We are yet to confirm the number of the Kenya and Somali soldiers lost in this attack. But I can say this was a disaster,” he said. Xusen Dhere, a witness in Kulbiyow town, estimated the death toll at 40 soldiers. He said militant fighters had loaded ammunition and military equipment into lorries to drive away and had torched several trucks.
Another witness, Halima Kushow, said she saw Kenyan soldiers streaming out of the base after the militants arrived. “It was a big fight. They started with explosions and when they [al-Shabaab] overpowered the KDF [Kenya defence forces], they entered the base and now they are controlling the camp,” she said. “We are now hearing the roar of planes over the town here. We are frightened now so I have fled with my children out of the town because there could be a huge fight between the two sides.” A series of attacks by al-Shabaab have underlined its resilience in the face of a decade-long effort to eradicate the group. This week at least 28 people were killed in an attack on a hotel in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, for which al-Shabaab claimed responsibility. |