Somali forces to launch offensive against Al-Shabaab in Gedo after Kenyan force attack

Somali National Army (SNA) troops are getting ready to launch military offensive against Al-Shabaab in Gedo region barely a day after Al-Shabaab claimed to have killed more than fifty Kenyan soldiers.

The expected offensive follows recent successful operations that have seen the militants pushed out of most regions of the country, according to military officials.

The operation will ensure the liberation of all the remaining areas under Al-Shabaab control in Gedo military sources have said.

A military official who sought anonymity said that SNA soldiers are heading to areas controlled by Al-Shabaab fighters.

‘The SNA leaderships will revitalize operations against Al- Shabaab and further enhance security for Somali people to continue to go about their lives in peace, safety.” he said.

Hundreds of heavily armed Al-Shabaab fighters attacked KDF military on Friday where the group claimed to have killed over fifty soldiers.

Al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab also said they took full control of the camp and killed several soldiers before withdrawing later in the afternoon.

However, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Col. Paul Njuguna disputed Al-Shabaab’s claim of killing at least 51 soldiers, saying the Kenyans fought back before retreating to a nearby area.

“During this engagement KDF lost two officers and seven servicemen. Fifteen KDF soldiers who were injured during the engagement have been evacuated to Defence Forces Memorial Hospital for further medical attention,” he said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

In January last year a Kenyan base at El Adde in Gedo region was attacked and overrun by Al Shabaab fighters who claimed to have killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers. The Kenyan government refused to give its own toll.