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Africa Horn
Conflicting reports of action on front
2011-11-01
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The Kenyan military and relief agencies were on Monday giving conflicting accounts of a bombing raid by Kenya Air Force jets deep inside Somalia on Sunday afternoon.

While international humanitarian group Medicins Sans Frontières (MSF) said it was treating dozens of injured following an aerial bombardment of the town of Jilib that hit a camp for internally displaced people, the Kenyan military said it had carried out a raid in Marere, Lower Juba region, southern Somalia but that only Al-Shabaab
... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban. The organization's current leader is Ibrahim Haji Jama Mee'aad, also known as Ibrahim al-Afghani. Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a Kenyan al-Qaeda member, is considered the group's military leader...
gunnies had been killed.

MSF on Monday called on warring parties to respect the rights of civilians.

"At least three people are reported dead and 52 injured, mostly women and kiddies," MSF said in a statement in Nairobi.

But in a statement, military front man Emmanuel Chirchir said no civilians were either killed or injured by the Kenya Air Force bombs.

He said the casualties reported at an IDP camp were caused by enemy fire.

"The incident at the IDP camp developed following enemy actions in the area. Upon the aerial attack, an Al-Shabaab driver drove off a technical battle wagon mounted with an anti-aircraft gun towards the IDP camp. The wagon was on fire and laden with explosives. It went kaboom! at the camp, causing the reported deaths and injuries," Major Chirchir added.

The front man said they had contacted MSF personnel on ground to ascertain the turn of events.

The Kenyan military killed at least 10 Al-Shabaab members and seriously maimed 47 others in an air strike at another training centre for the group.

Major Chirchir said Al-Shabaab's training centre on the outskirts of Afmadow, was bombed on Sunday evening.

At least two jet fighters were involved in the bombing of that part of the commercial town.

"The centre was severely damaged by the air strike at around 1500 hours. From the ground it is confirmed 10 Al-Shabaab members died and 47 were seriously maimed," the military front man said.

It was, however, not clear whether the injured were captured by Kenyan and TFG troops.

Major Chirchir said the bombardment was part of a plan to capture the town and further advance towards the southern Somalia port town of Kismayu.
Posted by:Fred

#1  Kenya Rocks, but not all Kenyans do.
Posted by: Rhodesiafever   2011-11-01 11:06  

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