This archive report was first published on 5 January 2020.
January 5, 2020, marked a day of violence as Al Shabab, the Somali terrorist group, launched a dawn raid on Camp Simba, a military base in southeastern Kenya that is used by both American and Kenyan forces.
According to a statement from the group, the attack was carried out on Sunday, targeting the base across the Somali border in Lamu County.
Irungu Macharia, the commissioner for Lamu, confirmed the attack, stating, 'There was an attack, but they have been repulsed.' However, he did not provide information on potential casualties.
Al Shabab has been fighting to overthrow the weak Somali government and has been responsible for numerous attacks in the region, including a suspected attack in late December 2019 that killed 79 people in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
The group has proven resilient despite losing territory and facing increasing airstrikes by the United States. Over the past few years, Al Shabab has killed hundreds of people in attacks at home and in Kenya, and has also assaulted an American military base outside Mogadishu in late September 2019.
