UK condemns Kulbiyow attack in Southern Somalia

United Kingdom has condemned the dawn attack on KDF military base in Southern Somalia launched on Friday by Al-Shabaab fighters.

In a statement, the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has offered condolences to the families of the brave Kenyan soldiers who lost their lives or were injured in the attack on Kenyan Defence Force facility at Kulbiyow in Southern Somalia.

“I would also like to praise the decisive response of the Kenyan Defence Forces, who displayed exemplary levels of bravery in responding to the attack,” said Johnson.

The statement said UK continues to work closely with both the governments of Kenya and Somalia in the fight against terrorism.

Hundreds of heavily armed Al-Shabaab fighters attacked KDF military 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 was attacked and overrun by Al Shabab fighters who claimed to have killed more than 100 Kenyan soldiers. The government refused to give its own toll.