Kenyan soldiers kill 13 Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia

Kenya army said its troops serving under the African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) killed 13 more Al-Shabaab militants in heavy fighting in southern Somalia on Sunday morning.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Col. David Obonyo said the soldiers had engaged the militants at Sarira in Lecta Belt, about 30km north of Ras Kamboni area in southern Somalia.

Obonyo said KDF did not suffer any casualty in the latest attack which saw a middle level Al-Shabaab commander captured and is being detained.

"The KDF soldiers pursued them following information of an intended probe attack. Following the incident, a middle level Al-Shabaab commander has been detained, 13 militants were killed, eight AK 47 rifles, two PKM machine guns, two rocket propelled grenades and assorted ammunition were captured," Obonyo said in a statement released in Nairobi.

"The assault was a success; the KDF did not suffer any fatality. The KDF soldiers remain vigilant and will continue to target the Al-Shabaab militants that threaten the security and peace in the region," Obonyo assured.

The latest incident brings to 34 the number of Al-Shabaab militants who have been killed in the last 24 hours in separate shootout incidents in the Horn of Africa nation.

On March 16, the Kenyan soldiers killed 19 Al-Shabaab militants who were planning to attack the military camps in Afmadhow in southern Somalia.

Obonyo said the troops recovered 10 rifles and three rockets propelled grenades and destroyed one technical vehicle during the dawn attack.

The Al-Qaida allied militants have recently stepped up their attacks against government sites, African peacekeeping force, hotels and other civilian targets in the wake of renewed offensive by AMISOM which has vowed to liberate several regions under Al-Shabaab control. Enditem