President Mohamud and Nigerian counterpart Buhari join President Uhuru to honour fallen KDF soldiers

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari will today join Kenya’s president Uhuru Kenyatta in honouring the fallen Kenya Defence Forces who were killed during the El-Adde attack mid this month.

Kenya’s Presidential Spokesman Manoah Isipisu said last evening the trio will attend a special intern-denominational prayer meeting at the Kenya Defence Forces 9th Kenya Rifles at Moi Barracks in Eldoret.

Most of the soldiers who were killed during the attack which Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility were from the 9KR based in Eldoret.

Meanwhile KDF has refuted claims it was pulling out of Somalia noting that the withdrawal of soldiers from El-Adde Tuesday was a ‘tactical retreat’ and that it was a ‘normal operational maneuver’.

Goobjoog News correspondent in Gedo said Al-Shabaab yesterday took control of El-Adde and Badhadhe after KDF troops left the towns.

Kenya has not officially released any casualty figures of the attack which Al-Shabaab put at 100 and claimed to have capture some 12 other soldiers.

In a similar development, AMISOM acting force commander Major Gen Nakibus Lakara has said the force will use El-Adde attack to re-strategize the battle against terror.”The El-Adde attack against friendly forces should be a launch pad that will embolden, strengthen and motivate us to go all out and hunt down Al-Shabaab and other armed enemies of Somalia. We shall re-strategise. Our defence must now become offensive by nature,” said Gen Lakara.

Gen Lakara spoke during his visit to El-Adde and other Forward AMISOM Bases in Sector 2 and 3.

Kenya and Nigeria contribute both troops and police to the African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM.