1st LD writethru: Al-Shabaab kills 3 Kenyan soldiers in S Somalia: official

Somali militant group Al-Shabaab on Saturday killed three Kenyan soldiers and wounded eight others in an ambush in southern Somalia, Kenya's military official confirmed Sunday.

Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) spokesman David Obonyo said the 11 soldiers who are part of the Africa Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) were ambushed in Delbio area in southern part of the Horn of Africa nation while on a route patrol.

"The three soldiers who were seriously injured died while undergoing treatment while the rest are in stable condition. They were later driven to Kenya-Somalia border and then flown to Nairobi for specialized treatment," Obonyo said.

"Our chopper landed in Dadaab airstrip and airlifted the injured to Nairobi where the three who were critically injured died but the rest are in stable condition," Obonyo told Xinhua by telephone.

He said the operation was still underway to in pursuit of the attackers who retreated into forest after the ambush.

"The problem is that it's raining heavily in Somalia. We are in warzone and any thing like ambush is normal because an enemy who is hiding in forests can attack you at any time," he added.

He said the militants exchanged fierce gun fire with the soldiers before they retreated into the vast forest. Endi