On 2nd August 2018 midday East African Time, the Al-Qaeda allied terrorist organization, Harakat Al-Shabaab Mujahideen, HSM, suffered casualties after they attempted to stage an ambush against a Kenya Army infantry patrol party on a reconnaissance operation in Geriley, Gedo prefecture of Somalia. 3 Shabaab militants were killed when the army tactical team counter attacked. The assessment from theater doesn’t not provide actual BDA, but army troops successfully preempted the threat.
The contact happened outside Geriley Township, a small town in the southwestern Gedo frontier region of Somalia. Geriley is situated near Somalia’s border with the North Easter Prefecture (NEP-Kenya), approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Wajir region of Kenya. The attackers’ original intention was probably to conduct a large scale attack targeting the Kenya Defense Forces beat which was in a tactical formation.
These ambushes have become common in theater. Burundi and Somali Army troops have suffered significant casualties in recent past. Along the Kenyan border, the terror group has been employing remote controlled improvised explosive devices, RCIED to target security and army units patrolling the frontiers. The Kenya Army team was using an MSR on a mission to find and engage terror group cells reported to be existing in the general area.
Neither Army nor the militant group issued a statement regarding the incident. The terror group often exaggerates assessments for purpose of psychological warfare and effect multiplication. The group hardly reports outcomes of failed missions to avoid demoralizing its troops.
