Al Shabaab militants launched a 4 am attack on the Manda-Magogoni naval base in Lamu County on Sunday, Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia confirmed to the Nation.
The heavily armed terrorists invaded Manda Air Strip, which is adjacent to Camp Simba that has a US military presence, early Sunday morning.
Cases of casualties or injuries are yet to be established.
The Somalia-based terror group has claimed the attack.
“It’s true. There is an attack by suspected Al-Shabaab militants at Manda-Mahogoni Naval base…KDF (Kenya Defence Forces) are dealing with the criminals who invaded the camp since 4 am today.”
KDF aircraft has responded with some bombs.
In a statement, KDF said the attack was foiled by its soldiers.
“This morning at around 5:30 am an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip. The attempted breach was successfully repulsed. Four terrorists bodies have so far been found. The airstrip is safe,” KDF Spokesperson Col Paul Njuguna said.
The Shabaab militants reportedly came from Hindi area. They are said to have disconnected power before launching their attack.
There is currently a power outage in Hindi.
INCREASED ATTACKS
The terror group has escalated its attacks on Kenya in recent months. Shabaab militants on Thursday attacked a bus at Nyongoro area, Lamu County, with three people losing their lives in the incident.
The bus had come from Mombasa and was headed to Lamu. KDF soldiers killed four suspected Al Shabaab fighters and captured one after the attack.
Before that, at least ten people were killed, including police officers, when the terrorists attacked a bus in Wajir County using an Improved Explosive Device (IED) in Kotulo area on December 7.
Its militants also kidnapped two businessmen on December 26 in Liboi area along the Kenya-Somalia border. They were then freed on December 27, with police saying they had launched a manhunt for the culprits after the attack.
Al Shabaab’s deadliest recent attack was a car bomb that claimed the lives of 79 people in Mogadishu, Somalia on December 28.
