Kenyan soldiers kill 4 Al-Shabaab militants, seize weapons

Kenyan soldiers on Friday killed four Al-Shabaab militants and injured several others after fighting in the border region of Garissa.

Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman Paul Njuguna said the soldiers who were on patrol successfully engaged Al-Shabaab terrorists at Mchanga Nyakendu area in Hulugho and also recovered assorted arms and ammunitions.

"Following the engagement, four Al-Shabaab fighters were neutralized and several escaped with injures," said Njuguna.

"Some of the assorted arms and ammunitions recovered include nine AK 47 rifles, 15 magazines; and three grenades were captured," he said.

The KDF spokesman said the soldiers will remain vigilant and will continue to relentlessly peruse the terrorists wherever they may be to ensure that there is peace and security in the East African nation.

Kenya blames Al-Shabaab terror group for a string of attacks and kidnappings in the country which it said threaten tourism, a key source of revenue for the country.

The incident came after Kenyan authorities beefed up security along Somali border amid intelligence reports that Al-Shabaab militants plan to carry out terror attacks in northeast region.

Northeastern Regional Coordinator Mohammed Saleh said security has been heightened in major government installations, social gatherings and along the border with war-torn Somalia following terror attacks in Mandera and Garissa counties in the recent past.

The East African nation faces insecurity as bomb attacks using improvised explosive devices and grenades have been hurled in northern eastern region since KDF entered Somalia in 2011 to secure the shared border with the lawless country.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting since 2008 to topple Somalia's weak central government. The group is believed to have ties to Al-Qaeda, and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Endit