Al-Shabab militants attack Kenya and US military base

2020-01-05 16:33:51

The Islamist militant group al-Shabab has attacked a military base used by Kenyan and US forces in the popular Kenyan coastal region of Lamu. Witnesses reported hearing gunfire and seeing plumes of black smoke emerge from Camp Simba on Manda Island. Kenya's military said the insurgents had been driven out of the base. Al-Shabab is linked to al-Qaeda and has its headquarters in neighbouring Somalia. The group has carried out a spate of attacks in the region since it was formed more than a decade ago. On 28 December, about 80 people were killed in a bombing in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.