The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has established a new elite team with specialised training to help in the fight against Somali-based militants, Al Shabaab.
The unit assembled from the Air Force will be tasked with missions similar to those carried out by the United States' Navy Seal – Seal team 6.
According to a military manual seen by a local daily, the unit will be armed with skills “to safely recover own or friendly forces who have either been captured, downed from a plane or inadvertently lost in enemy territory”.
It is reported that the special team is trained by the US Air Force and is set to be inaugurated by Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo, on Tuesday, at the Nanyuki Airbase.
“The exercise was conceptualised by the Kenya Air Force, following incidents in Somalia operations where the need for combat search and rescue capabilities were identified. United States Africa Command accepted to support with training,” said a statement by the Kenya Defence Forces.
A report by the Nation states that the decision to form the unit was occasioned by an incident where a Kenyan pilot on a mission in Somalia, fell into the hands of militants after ejecting his seat from a fighter jet that had suffered mechanical problems.
It is further said that rescuers failed to reach him in time after the incident happened.
Kenya has stepped up operations in the war-torn country with the latest initiatives of equipping and offering modernised training to soldiers seen as a boost in the war against terror.
The Special Airforce unit is, however, not the first in Kenya as another one exists within the Army and was reportedly involved in the rescue mission after the deadly El Adde ambush.
Read also:KDF Sends Special Forces on Rescue Mission
A few weeks ago, KDF launched a Sh3.8 Billion training session funded by the United Nations involving troops drawn from the Kenya Army.
Read Also: KDF Gets Sh3.8 Billion Special Training to Crush Al Shabaab
