The United States government has boosted Kenya's fight against terrorism, this time conducting a high-level military operation at Magogoni Airfield in Lamu County designed to counter the threat posed by Al Shabaab.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) disclosed that the high-stakes operation was carried out jointly by the US Army and Air Force, under the 475th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron.
According to the DVIDS, the 475th EABS provides base operations and communications support for multiple mission partners including Kenya.
During the operation, the US military executed a range of missions, encompassing the establishment of a secure landing zone for logistical operations, personnel recovery missions, and the deployment of intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms.
Notably, a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules from the 75th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron touched down at the military airfield during the exercise.
“The 75th EAS provides airlift support across East Africa, increasing regional access to generate the right effects, at the right place, at the right time,” DVIDS said in the statement.
The operation comes barely a month after a suicide bomber attempted to blow up a multi-agency military camp in Lamu County.
While the US military plays a key role in training Kenyan soldiers, DVIDS did not reveal if the latest operation involved Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).
The 475th EABS is one of the key US units in Africa providing base operations and communications support for 13 missions in Kenya and Somalia.
The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides material support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa.
The US support comes at a critical time in Kenya following a surge in terrorist attacks.
While appearing before Senate Security and Defence Committee On Thursday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki emphasized that Kenya had to make tough choices in light of an increase in terror attacks.
He informed the parliamentary committee that the reopening of the Somalia border, closed since 2011, had to be postponed indefinitely due to the security situation.
