About 30 more Kenyan soldiers have arrived in Nairobi today from El Adde, Somalia in an ongoing search, rescue and recovery operation following the grave attack by Al-Shaabab militants on Friday.

Four Kenya Defense Force (KDF) soldiers, who were injured during the ambush, were the first survivors to be been flown home for treatment yesterday.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo and the Chief of Defence Forces, General Samson Mwathethe received the soldiers at the Wilson Airport. Several other soldiers who were wounded in the Friday ambush are reported to being treated at Wajir hospital.

Reports indicate that an unknown number of soldiers escaped from the camp during the attack and a search and rescue mission had been launched  within 72 hours of the attack.

Private Joseph Muganda, who had only served in Somali for two weeks, was one of the first four survivors who managed to escape together with a colleague who had sustained injuries on his legs. The two were located and rescued two days after the attack a few kilometers from the EL Adde camp.

HOW AL-SHABAAB RAIDED KENYA’S MILITARY CAMP

The chief of Kenya Defense Forces, General Samson Mwathethe, has revealed that Al-Shabaab used three vehicle borne improvised devises (VBIED) commandeered by suicide bombers  to attack both the KDF and the Somali National Army (SNA) camps.

The general also said that KDF launched an offensive against the militia within 48 hours of the initial attack using both ground and air forces.

A tough talking, Mwathethe declared that the country will avenge for every drop of blood shed by the terrorists.

“We shall hunt down and destroy you, the lives of our soldiers you killed shall not be in vain,” he said.

The Al-Shabaab militants ambushed camp El Adde on Friday, in the attack that left at least 60 KDF soldiers dead, the worst assault in the military since Operation Linda Nchi was launched in 2011.

The affected soldiers are mostly from Eldoret and Gilgil army bases and had only been in the camp for two weeks.

GILGIL RESIDENTS HOLD VIGIL FOR TROOPS

Residents of Gilgil held a vigil on Saturday in honour of the KDF soldiers who were killed in the Friday attack.

Both Muslims and Christians converged in the town center for prayers. They lit candles and also sang patriotic songs in a show of unity.