[Aljazeera] Al-Shabab fighters have attacked a military base in Kenya's Lamu county used by US and Kenyan military personnel, the East African country's army and the armed group said.Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) said in a statement on Sunday that "at around 5:30am 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," the statement added.
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An internal Kenyan police report seen by the AP said two fixed-wing aircraft, a U.S. Cessna and a Kenyan one, were destroyed along with two U.S. helicopters and multiple U.S. vehicles at the Manda Bay military airstrip. The report said explosions were heard at around 5:30 a.m. from the direction of the airstrip. The scene, now secured, indicated that al-Shabab likely entered “to conduct targeted attacks," the report said.
The military's Camp Simba in Lamu county, established more than a decade ago, has under 100 U.S. personnel, according to Pentagon figures. U.S. forces at the Manda Bay airfield train and give counter-terror support to East African partners, according to the military. A U.S. flag-raising at the camp in August signaled its change “from tactical to enduring operations," the Air Force said at the time.