This archive report was first published on 5 January 2020.
Al Shabaab Attack on Lamu Military Base Leaves 3 Dead ¶
On Sunday, January 5, 2020, a military base in Lamu, Kenya, was attacked by Al Shabaab militants, resulting in the deaths of three people, including a US service member and two civilian defense contractors.
General Stephen Townsend, the head of US Africa Command (Africom), expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims, stating, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of our teammates who lost their lives today."
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of our teammates who lost their lives today," General Stephen Townsend, the head of US Africa Command (Africom), said after jihadists from Somalia's Al-Shabaab group stormed a base in the Lamu region, used by both Kenya and US forces.
Two other Department of Defense personnel were wounded in the attack, which occurred at 5:30 am at Camp Simba in Manda Bay. The attack was claimed by Al-Shabaab, who stated that they had "successfully stormed the heavily fortified military base and have now taken effective control of part of the base."
"This (Sunday) morning at around 5:30 am an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip. The attempted breach was successfully repulsed," Col Njuguna said in a statement to newsrooms "The airstrip is safe."
Col Paul Njuguna, a Spokesman for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), stated that four terrorists' bodies had been found, but photographs circulated online showed the bodies of five terrorists. The attack highlights the ongoing threat posed by Al-Shabaab, who have staged several large-scale attacks inside Kenya in retaliation for Nairobi sending troops into Somalia in 2011.
Despite years of costly efforts to fight Al-Shabaab, the group has continued to inflict mass casualties at home and in the region. The attack on the Lamu military base is a grim reminder of the resilience and capacity of the group to carry out such attacks.
