Kenya Searches for Missing Soldiers After Al-Shabab Attack in Somalia

The victims caskets, draped in Kenyan national flags, were received late Monday at Nairobis Wilson Airport by defense and army officials who witnessed a military honor guard.“This is a very somber moment for the Kenya Defense Forces and I think for the country at large, ” Kenyan Defense Secretary Raychelle Omamo told reporters at the airport.

He added that both the KDF and Somali National Army camps in the area were hit in the simultaneous attacks.

“The attack was carried out by terrorists using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED) commandeered by suicide bombers”, said Gen Mwathethe. The operation is “delicate” because some Kenyan soldiers have been captured and are being used as human shields, he said.

“We will fight them deep in their hideouts, smoke them out of the caves, follow them to the end in honour of every drop of blood of fellow Kenyans”, said he.

The African Union is still verifying the number of casualties and Kenyan authorities haven’t specified how many of its soldiers died.

It is expected that more bodies will be airlifted to Nairobi, as desperate relatives and friends of soldiers killed, injured or held captive on Monday thronged military bases in search of their kin.

“This attack has sparked off understandable panic, anger and uncertainty among our citizens who are seeking to better understand how this happened, the number of victims, the survivors and their whereabouts and how we ensure this does not happen again”, he said. “On the contrary, the attack serves to strengthen our resolve in the face of terror and in the defence of our nation”.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday said offensive operations against Al Shabaab will be scaled up in Somalia, declaring that terrorists “will have no time to breathe”.