Kenyan troops pull out of Somali towns after deadly attack

Local residents said they welcomed the moves, saying the Kenyan troops have been subjecting them to harassment and air bombardment following the El Adde attack, where independent number of Kenyan casualty put over 100 but the government has remained tight-lipped over the exact number of men killed in the dawn ambush.

The militants poured into Lower Jubba region of Badhadhe after Kenyan-AMISOM peacekeepers alongside Jubaland forces made surprise pullout from the town. Al-Shabab also claimed its fighters seized armaments and military vehicles in that attack.

A Kenyan army spokesman denied troops had withdrawn and instead characterized the movement as a “normal operational maneuver”. The militants are seeking to drive the AU force out of Somalia.

Obonyo’s assurance comes amid reports that Kenyan forces are retreating from two military bases in southern Somalia, barely two weeks after Al-Shabaab militants attacked their camp there on January 15.

“Nobody says we must be in that camp”, the BBC quoted Col. David Obonyo as saying. He said many residents started returning to their homes after the Kenyans left.

Several civilians had been killed during the Kenyan operation, they added.

“Let the blood that our soldiers shed in Somalia bind us together as a nation, with love, unity and solidarity”, the bishops said.

Families of soldiers who have not been accounted for have been asked to provide DNA samples to help identify their relatives.

Col Obonyo refused to divulge how many troops were killed or wounded in the assault.

Al-Shabaab opposes Kenya’s military presence in Somalia and has carried out many attacks inside Kenyan territory.

Last week, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta told a memorial service for the fallen soldiers that Kenyan troops would stay in Somalia despite the attack.