Several KDF Soldiers Feared Dead After IED Attack in Lamu

Several Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) soldiers are feared dead after a vehicle they were traveling in hit an improvised explosive device (IED).

The incident occurred at the Baure area in Lamu County on Tuesday morning, according to Lamu County Commissioner Irungu Macharia.

Irungu said the officers were on patrol when the vehicle hit the landmine suspected to have been planted on the road by Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated militant group Al-Shabaab.

The incident was also confirmed by the Counter-Terrorism and National Security Intelligence Service (CTNSIS) through a statement on Tuesday.

"A Kenya Army morning patrol party came into contact with a terrorist RC-IED at Baure area of Lamu, Coastal Kenya. The army lost troops in the incident while a dozen other were injured," read the statement in part.

In the past few years, Al-Shabaab has been targeting areas near the Kenya-Somalia border, killing innocent citizens and law enforcement officers.

In January, at least seven Kenyan military personnel serving under African Union peacekeeping mission forces in Somalia (AMISOM) were killed after their vehicle ran over an IED in Hosingow, near the Somali-Kenyan border. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.