Somali Islamist rebels say they captured Kenyan troops on Friday

Kenya has provided a major contingent to the AU force that is fighting al-Shabab, a Somali Islamic extremist group linked with al-Qaida, and assisting the elected government of Somalia.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo asked Kenyans to be calm and let the government inform families of the fallen soldiers first before making the names public.

According to the reporters, Shabaab militant group had said that it had overran an African Union base in a village in southern Somalia and had put to death dozens of peacemakers.

About 63 Kenyan soldiers have been killed in an attack on an African Union military base in southwestern Somalia.

The militants claimed they killed at least 100 soldiers and drove away 28 military vehicles.

Kenyatta has repeatedly said he would not be coerced into withdrawing Kenyan forces from Somalia, saying the troops are protecting Kenya.

Al-Shabaab said that the latest attack comes as response to Kenyan occupation of parts of Somalia and its military persecution of innocent Muslims in Kenya.

Ali Yasin Ahmed, 31, and Mohamed Yusuf, 33, were sentenced by US District Judge John Gleeson in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday in light of their guilty pleas in May to conspiring to provide material support to al Shabab.

Although she did not disclose the number of soldiers who died, she confirmed many of them were still missing following the attack that occurred at about 4am.

The Ministry of Defence has issued telephone numbers to assists families, relatives and friends trace their loved ones who were serving in Somalia when Al Shabaab attacked the El Adde AMISOM camp on Friday killing several Kenyan soldiers. “We have engaged the enemy and severely degraded him”, he added.

He urged Kenyans to remember the affected families in their prayers and stay as brothers, noting that soldiers who lost their lives left behind their families and sacrificed their lives to protect every Kenyan citizen. But al-Shabab said more than 100 Kenyan soldiers were killed, AFP reported.

Paul D. Williams is an associate professor of worldwide affairs at The George Washington University in Washington and has written about the African Union Mission in Somalia.