Kenya: 5 soldiers dead, 6 injured by terrorist IED

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya

Five Kenyan soldiers were killed and several injured on Wednesday by a suspected al-Shabaab terrorist IED while patrolling a forested area near the southerncoast, according an official and eyewitnesses.

A police officer in the coastal town of Lamu, who asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media, told Anadolu Agency: “I can confirm the attack happened and two police officers are in critical condition. Reinforcements have already been sent,”

Witnesses told Kenya’s Nation Television that Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) troops in a truck ran over the improvised explosive device (IED), and six injured soldiers were rushed to an undisclosed hospital.

The east African nation's Boni forest area has been a safe haven for Somali-based al-Shabaab militants who cross over from the porous Kenya-Somali border to attack patrolling police officers.

Kenya started a military operation in the area last year that involved heavy bombardment to flush out the militants. The operation yielded fruit as no major attacks have been reported in the region since the military moved in.