By STAR REPORTER
Twelve KDF soldiers captured by al Shabaab in Somalia have reportedly been transferred from Gedo region to the militants’ stronghold in Jilib.
Sources said the militants used Buale road to move the soldiers to the hideout believed to be al Shabaab leader Ahmed Diriye’s station, respected war journalist Yassin Juma posted on his Facebook page.
The militants are also said to have taken the Kenya military’s vehicles, including a Benhard, an APC and an unknown number of smaller cars.
This was after KDF arrived in war wagons and took over the camp, with military planes arriving later. Residents in areas of Somalia reported this on Tuesday.
Some websites in the war-torn country said the terror group released dozens of graphic images following the ambush on a camp in El Adde last Friday.
“Many are of KDF soldiers,” they claimed, bringing to the fore unofficial reports about the number of casualties the Kenya Defence Forces suffered.
About 63 soldiers are feared dead and an unknown number are missing, some kidnapped and held hostage by the attackers; the terror group said it killed 100.
Sources said there were 240 KDF soldiers in the African Union camp at the time of the assault.
Military spokesman David Obonyo disputed this but would not give the exact number. He maintained it was a company size team of soldiers; a company has 80 to 250 soldiers.
Chief of Defence Forces Samson Mwathethe said reports indicated some soldiers were being used as human shields but noted that a search, rescue and recovery operation was ongoing.
On Tuesday, a top general of the Somali National Army said Kenyan soldiers were warned of the attack on their base.
General Abbas Ibrahim Gurey, commander of SNA in Gedo region said KDF commanders had actionable intelligence on the impending attack on the base.
“It was information we knew, the information was received, and they (KDF) were ready for it,” Gurey told Voice of America Somali Service.
He said the military were tipped by the Somali army and locals that heavily armed al shabaab group were spotted nearby days before.
The Somali army camp is said to be 600 meters away from the base where the Kenya soldiers were attacked.
Al Shabaab, which is aligned with al Qaeda, said it took over the base, about 550 km (340 miles) west of Mogadishu after a suicide bomber from the group rammed its gates.
Source: The Star