Kenyan, Somali soldiers kill 40 Al Shabaab militia

By CYRUS OMBATI and DAVID OCHAMI

Kenyan forces in Somalia killed more than 40 Al Shabaab militants in Southern Somalia and destroyed nine enemy vehicles in attacks on Wednesday.

Three Kenyan soldiers were slightly injured in the battles, according to Col Cyrus Oguna of Kenya Defence Forces.

Military spokesman Maj Emanuel Chirchir said atleast 40 militants were killed in the attacks.

"Al Shabaab casualty report 40 confirmed neutralized, 30 AK 47 captured, 1 Doshika and 1 PKM captured," said Maj Chirchir in a Twitter posting.

He added six Somalia National Army personnel were injured in the latest strike but they were all out of danger.

The incident happened about kilometers East Hosingo Township near the Indian Ocean in Southern Somalia at about 5am.

Maj Chirchir said Al Shabaab attack was likely to be a diversionary tactic to allow infiltration of Improvised Explosive Devises in the Northern sector.

Separate reports from Somalia indicate that the International Commission of the Red Crescent ICRC has entered Gedo province and other areas liberated by the Kenya Defence Forces and their Somali National Army allies.

Earlier reports indicated widening splits within Al Shabaab with allegations that one of the militants' leaders Ali Dheere had fled to Yemen with several fighters.@

And Al Shabaab claimed a devastating bomb attack in Mogadishu, which killed 10 people in a sports facility in the Somalia capital.

Kenya entered Southern Somalia last October to attack Al Shabaab after the militants raided Kenyan towns to steal arms, abduct citizens and foreigners and also recruit Kenyans into the militia.

From last month Kenyan forces joined the African Mission in Somalia AMISOM and are situated in the Juba areas of Somalia. The Kenyans have encountered ambushes by the militants.

"Initial battle damage assessment from the raid indicates that eight Technical Vehicles and one Land Cruiser belonging to Al Shabaab were destroyed. Several Al Shabaab members were also killed," read part of a statement from military headquarters.

The statement added Al Shabaab base was completely destroyed and the Al Shabaab members who escaped towards Bibi are being pursued.