Al-Shabaab claims to have allegedly seized a KDF military base in Kulbiyow town, near the Somali-Kenya border following an attack in the wee hours of today morning.

The militia says that it overrun the KDF base “El Adde style” using a massive car bomb commandeered by two suicide bombers before opening fire, killing at least 50 soldiers.

Kenyan military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna has however denied the claims that the militia has taken over the KDF base, saying that they sent a reinforcement which was able to destroy two vehicles loaded with improvised explosive devices within the vicinity of their Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Kulbiyow, adding that the operation was still ongoing and they were receiving updates and will give an official statement in due time.

Al-Shabaab ramping up efforts against KDF

In January last year, Al-Shabaab attacked a KDF base in El Adde, killing dozens of Kenyan soldiers, in what was said to have been the worst military assault since Kenya invaded Somalia in 2011 under operation Linda Nchi.

The government has never given much detail about the El Adde attack, including the actual number of soldiers killed and Kenyans were left to go with the narrative given by Al-Shabaab.