BY CALVIN ONSARIGO

THE Kenya Defence Forces yesterday said eight al Shabaab militants were killed in Wednesday’s ambush in Lamu, near the Kenya-Somalia border.

Military spokesman Col David Obonyo said five gunmen were killed in the initial shootout, while three others were traced and killed inside Boni Forest in Basuba area.

Obonyo said the eight had no identification.

“After the foiled attack, our forces pursued the assailants to the forest and killed three more. It’s unfortunate that we lost one soldier during the ambush,” he said.

Obonyo said some suspected al Shabaab members escaped with bullet wounds during the gunfight.

He said more officers have been deployed to comb the forest.

The insurgents had ambushed the KDF, operating under the Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops on their routine to military base in Ras Kiamboni.

Three wounded soldiers were airlifted to a private hospital in Mombasa, Obonyo told the Star on the phone yesterday.

Source: The Star