24 Al Shabaab fighters were killed by a squad of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in Bilis Qooqani, in the southern part of Somalia.
The attack happened at around midnight when a group of militants ambushed a KDF camp near the town.
The close quarter battle that lasted for more than 30 minutes, ended with 24 fatalities while many others escaped with wounds.
KDF recovered 25 AK-47 rifles, one PKM machine gun and assorted rounds of ammunition.
Unfortunately, three soldiers drawn from the Special Operations Regiment (SOR) sustained injuries.
Bilis Qooqaani is a town in the Afmadow district of the Lower Juba region of southern Somalia.
It lies approximately 70 kilometres away from the Kenya-Somali border.
In October, Kenya Police had issued a terror alert stating that they had noted the increased movement of the militants towards the Kenya-Somali border.
“Our officers are on high alert, monitoring their movements so as to counter any attempts by these criminals to cross over to the country to cause fear and despondency” read the press release.
They called upon members of the public, particularly those living along the border, to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movement by individuals or groups to any nearest security personnel.
