The southwestern Somali town of el-Adde and the adjoining African Union military base were overrun today, with al-Shabaab launching a suicide attack to open the gate into the base and then forcing their way in and overwhelming the Kenyan troops.
Death tolls aren’t totally confirmed, but al-Shabaab claimed to have killed 63 Kenyan troops, and the Kenyan government so far hasn’t contested the account, instead just praising the troops for their bravery in standing and fighting the ultimately losing battle.
Locals report that al-Shabaab’s flag is flying over the military base, and the group’s fighters are all over the place in the town as well, parading the bodies of slain Kenyans through the streets in celebratory parades.
In addition to taking the base and having control over the town, al-Shabaab reported it has seized a large number of armored vehicles and trucks from the base. The group says it is using the vehicles to hunt down the remaining Kenyan troops who did flee.
The Kenyan troops are invaders. Just saying.