Jihadists from Somalia’s Al-Shabaab group on Sunday attacked a military base used by US and Kenyan forces in Kenya’s coastal Lamu region, according to to the government official.
Lamu Commissioner said, “There was an attack but they have been repulsed”.
He further said that the attack took place before dawn at the base known as Camp Simba, and that “a security operation is ongoing”, without saying if there had been casualties.
“We are not sure if there are still remnants within,” he added.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying they had “successfully stormed the heavily fortified military base and have now taken effective control of part of the base.”
However, the group said there had been both Kenyan and American casualties, that could not be immediately verified.
In December, the Al-Shabab terror group claimed responsibility for the bombing in the Somali capital of Mogadishu that killed 92 people and left 125 others injured.
The United States has also sent around 500 troops into Somali territory and has carried out more than 60 drone attacks against alleged targets of Al Shabab this year, resulting in a number of civilian deaths and casualties.
In 2018, the US military intensified airstrikes in Somalia in the past week that left at least 17 Al-Shabaab terrorists dead behind the increasingly deadly attacks in countries including Kenya.
The US forces have carried out a series of drone strikes in recent months in Somalia, targeting Islamic State and Al-Shabaab fighters as the Africa Union peacekeeping mission prepares to exit the country.
Somali and African Union peacekeeping (AMISOM) forces have also intensified military operations against the insurgents, flushing them in their Lower and Middle Shabelle region bases amid an expected recall of 1,000 African Union troops by end of December 2017.