Suspected Al Shabaab militants launched an early morning attack on a Kenya military base Sunday in an incident that has been confirmed by Lamu police boss Irungu Macharia.
Reports indicate that the militants used a car bomb to breach entry at Camp Simba, Manda Bay to gain access to the military base.
A huge plume of smoke could be seen early Sunday morning emerging from the military base.
The attack is reported to have begun at 4 am and lasted four hours as the soldiers based at Camp Simba pushed back the militants.
The car grenade used by Shabaab militants is said to have been targeted at the facility’s airstrip.
A propaganda press release sent out by Al Shabaab claimed the militants had managed to destroy several aircraft used by the US soldiers at the camp.
The message would also allege that a number of casualties resulted from the attack and that the Somalia-based terrorist group had captured part of the Kenya-US joint military base.
This attack comes just days after suspected militants killed at least three passengers aboard a bus to Lamu from Mombasa County.
Geolocation of photo purportedly showing #AlShabaab attack on #US military base in #Kenya. Smoke seems to be coming from the area of the airstrip, not the grounds of Camp Simba. https://t.co/fMnAYxma2k pic.twitter.com/mfm9BnNuOg
— John Marquee (@john_marquee) January 5, 2020
Police would reveal that the militants were neutralized moments after carrying out the deadly attack.
BREAKING: Reports from Kenya say Al-Shabaab militants have launched a dawn attack on Kenya military base in Lamu County. A suicide car bomb reportedly breached the entry to Camp Simba, Manda Bay. The explosion sent plume of dark smoke into the sky, photos purportedly show. pic.twitter.com/OxL8H1Qvgs
— Harun Maruf (@HarunMaruf) January 5, 2020
— ɹǝɥdoʇsıɹɥɔ (@just_some_d00d) January 5, 2020
More to follow…