Kenyan troops killed 52 al Shabaab fighters in an attack on the militants’ camp in southern Somalia on Friday, a military spokesman said.
Col. Joseph Owuoth, spokesman for Kenya Defence Forces, said the incident happened in Badhaadhe in Lower Juba.
He said rifles, three improvised explosive devices and bomb making materials were recovered in the assault.
Owuoth said: “the intelligence led operation was executed after surveillance assets sighted al Shabaab terrorist concentration on the location.
“Ground troops supported by mortar and artillery fire were employed to neutralise the camp thereafter.
“Following the operation, the initial assessment indicates that 52 terrorists were killed while others fled with injuries.”
Al Shabaab, whose assessment of casualties often differs markedly from official versions, could be immediately reached for comment.
Kenya has thousands of its troops in the African Union Mission in Somalia to help curb al Shabaab and improve security as part of a reconstruction drive after two decades of civil war that shattered the country.
Kenya initially sent troops into Somalia in 2011 after a series of attacks on Kenyan soil by the al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab.
The Islamist group has been fighting for years to impose its own harsh interpretation of Islam on Somalia.

POSTED BY:OPUOMONI PRIYE
DATE:04/21/2017