Kenyan helicopter gunships kill 100 Al Shabaab fighters

Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Kenyan troops have killed about 100 Al Shabaab fighters during an air raid around Dalayat, a small town in South Somalia, a key logistics hub for the militia group which fell to the Kenyan troops earlier this week, a military spokesman said Friday.

Kenyan helicopter gunships attacked a number of armoured personnel carriers around 16.45 hrs, killing the 100 fighters of a group of 200 fighters, which was in a convoy of 20 vehicles when it was hit.

Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) Spokesman, Major Emmanuel Chirchir, said the airstrikes were likely to shape the future of the Kenyan military operation in Southern Somalia.

In the battle damage assessment, the KDF said nine technicals, or vehicles mounted with heavy artillery weapons, were destroyed by the Kenyan helicopter gunships. Some nine tractors, also used to transport heavy weaponry, were also destroyed.

At least eight top Al Shabaab commanders were among the fighters killed in the convoy. The Kenyan troops recently advanced into the town of Badhade and Hayo, all key locations which it suspects have been the greatest supply routes for Al Shabaab’s weapons and logistics.

There was no immediate reaction from the Al Shabaab after the Kenyan military spokesman, Major Chirchir, tweeted the outcome of the latest battle from Southern Somalia.

It appears the Al Shabaab has been preparing a tough battle to re-take the town of Badhade from the Kenyans.

Kenyan troops are operating from three sectors in Southern Somalia and have been preparing to advance into the town of Afmadhow and Kismayu for several weeks.
-0- PANA AO/VAO 3Feb2012