Somalia

[Schneemann]

Kenyan troops 'kill 60 al-Shabab fighters' in Somalia

The Kenyan army says it has killed 60 Somali al-Shabab militia fighters in air strikes and is determined to "break their spine completely". A further 20 of the Islamist fighters defected in recent weeks, army spokesman Col Cyrus Oguna told reporters in the Kenyan capital. But al-Shabab responded by promising to defeat the Kenyans. It is extremely hard to verify reports from inside Somalia and the two sides' versions of events differ widely. [...]

Kenyan air strikes hit al-Shabab positions in Garbaharey in southern Somalia's Gedo region, according to Col Oguna. As well as losing "60 or more" fighters, the militia suffered 50 injured, he said. "We will keep hitting them until their spine is completely broken... and we will relish that moment," the Kenyan spokesman added.

"The resistance from al-Shabab is crumbling, there is division within the al-Shabab leadership," he said.

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Schneemann.