On Sunday, January 5, Al Shabaab extremist group attacked Manda Bay Airfield, which is a US training base in Lamu.
The United States government through the US Africa Command acknowledged that there was an attack at the airfield.
"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," the military arm tweeted.
The US Africa Command stated that together with the KDF, they successfully repelled the al-Shabaab attack and, "Working alongside our Kenyan partners, the airfield is cleared and still in the process of being fully secured."
They noted that the terror group had put out multiple press releases exaggerating the security situation on the ground.
"Al-Shabaab resorts to lies, coercion, and the exertion of force to bolster their reputation to create false headlines. It is important to counter al-Shabaab where they stand to prevent the spread of this cancer," US Army Maj General William Gayler U.S. Africa Command Director of Operations stated.
Initial reports reflect damage to infrastructure and equipment in the bay while accountability of personnel assessment is underway.
Following the attack, the Kenya Defense Forces released a statement confirming that four militants had been killed.
''This morning at around 5:30 am an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip. The attempted breach was successfully repulsed. Four terrorist bodies have so far been found.
"The airstrip is safe. Arising from the unsuccessful breach a fire broke out affecting some of the fuel tanks located at the airstrip. The fire has been put under control and standard security procedures are now on-going.''
Camp Simba, Manda Bay which is located in Lamu, Kenya was established in 2004.
Serving as a Forward Operating Location (FOL), Manda Bay's primary function is as a centre for training exercises with Kenya’s naval special forces and a base for Special Operations Forces (SOF) in Somalia.
The camp plays an integral role in the secret drone assassination program aimed at militants in neighbouring Somalia as well as in Yemen.
