Kenya's fighter jets are reported to have conducted multiple air strikes in Somalia's Elgadud and Dabley areas while tactical forces on the ground using armoured vehicles also struck Al Shabaab camps.
Residents near the Kenya- Somalia border and Gedo areas are said to have witnessed the bombings, which Military Spokesperson, David Obonyo say destroyed the tankers Al Shabaab seized from the attack on AMISOM base, the Star reports.
Reports emerged on Monday that Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) had sent soldiers from the elite unit, on a rescue and recovery mission termed 'delicate' by Chief of Defence Forces General Samson Mwathethe.
The military boss had earlier, during an address on the attack, said "the enemy has been degraded" and that security forces will not let Kenya suffer more casualties.
The Special Forces are said to be locating Kenyan soldiers who sent signals to other camps in Gedo region, indicating they were alive but trapped in bushes.
On Sunday General Mwathethe confirmed that in deed some soldiers had been captured by the Al Shabaab militiamen and were being used as human shields.
The counter attacks by KDF followed strong sentiments by President Uhuru Kenyatta who reiterated on Monday that the country will not be intimidated by terrorists.
“We shall defend our country by all means and we will unite with other countries in the region to defeat these terrorists,” he said at an event in Kilifi County.
Meanwhile, KDF is reportedly investigating whether the deadly Friday attack on an AMISOM base at El-Adde in Gedo was conducted by a pro ISIS faction of Al Shabaab.
According to a report by the Standard, military sources indicated that the nature of the attack that inflicted heavy casualty on Kenyan soldiers was common with the terror group, Islamic State of Iraq (ISIS).
ISIS reportedly used the technique of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) on Iraqi Forces causing serious damage.
General Mwathethe alluded that the attackers used three VBIEDs commandeered by suicide bombers to gain entry into the KDF camp and a Somali National Army Camp.
“They ran past two main roadblocks before they stopped inside the camp where explosives went off. Therein, they were detonated before the suicide bombers went on with their mission of setting the camp on fire,” he said.
