2 Kenyan soldiers have died after sustaining injuries in Somalia after their convoy was ambushed by the Somali terrorist group, Harakat Shabaab Mujahideen. The soldiers were serving under Kenya Defense Forces AMISOM Contingent. The troop’s vehicle was ambushed at a flashpoint area identified as Mlima Ethiopia, on 24th June 2019 by a group of militants using a technical vehicle with a mounted machinegun strategically position on a hill to pin the Kenyan troops.
The ambush was mounted approximately 20 kilometers from the troop’s camp. The area has a rough terrain that exposes troops to enemy combatants who often perch on top of hills, thus labeled a flashpoint area and kill zone. The 2 soldiers lost their weapons to the enemy combatants. The injured were airlifted by army air assets to Kenya. The 2 sustained serious injuries and later succumbed to them. 9 Terrorists were killed.
The terror group instructed members to conduct attacks targeting specific AMISOM troops and violently rob weapons. This is an indicator the group is short of arms and is in desperate need of functional ones. It also indicates that measures to choke its lifelines have been successful.
