Al-Shabaab Attacks Manda Airstrip Near US-Kenya Military Base

Suspected al-Shabaab fighters on Sunday morning attacked Manda Airstrip located next to Camp Simba, a military base in Lamu County that is used by the US and Kenyan soldiers.

In a statement, Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) said the 5.30 am attack was repulsed and four militants were killed in the process. "The attempted breach was successfully repulsed. Four terrorists' bodies have so far been found. The airstrip is safe," said KDF spokesperson Col Paul Njuguna.

The dawn attack was also confirmed by the US military command for Africa (AFRICOM) which said that al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the raid. "U.S. Africa Command acknowledges there was an attack at Manda Bay Airfield, Kenya and is monitoring the situation. Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the incident. As facts and details emerge, we will provide an update."

In a statement, al-Shabaab claimed that it staged an attack on Camp Simba, killing some American and Kenyan military personnel stationed there and had taken control of part of the military base. The group provided no evidence to support those claims.

"The Mujahideen fighters covertly entered enemy lines, successfully stormed the heavily fortified military base and have now taken effective control of a part of the base," the armed group said.

US troops have used Camp Simba to perform counter-terrorism and border security operations to aid Kenya since 2017, according to a US Air Force news release.

The camp became a permanent US military installation on August 26th, 2019, when the American flag was hoisted over the facility 

The attack comes amid rising hostilities between the US and Iran following the killing of Iranian top military general Qasem Soleimani. Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike over allegations of orchestrating vicious attacks targeting US citizens and interests in the Middle East. Iran has vowed to revenge the killing of Soleimani.