Kenya’s Defense Forces (KDF) announced that on Sunday morning, they repulsed an attempt to infiltrate Manda Airstrip near the Camp Simba U.S. military base.
“Four terrorists’ bodies have so far been found,” the KDF said in the statement. “The airstrip is safe.”
This morning at around 5:30 am an attempt was made to breach security at Manda Air Strip. The attempted breach was successfully repulsed. Four terrorists bodies have so far been found. The airstrip is safe.https://t.co/CXoAWBgXC4
— Kenya Defence Forces (@kdfinfo) January 5, 2020
Al-Shabaab, a Somalian terrorist group affiliated with Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Manda Airstrip, also called Lamu Airport, is located n Lamu county, near Kenya’s border with Somalia. It is used by U.S.military stationed at nearby Camp Simba and by Kenyan government forces.
The terrorist group claimed that U.S. military equipment was destroyed in the attack pre-dawn attack that lasted four hours.
Last week Al-Shabaab carried out a car bomb attack in the heart of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, that killed at least 80 civilians.
US troops began operations at Camp Simba in 2017, performing counter-terrorism and border security operations to aid Kenya, according to a US Air Force news release.
It essentially became a permanent US military installation on August 26, 2019, when the American flag was raised over the facility in what the Air Force said signified its “change from tactical to enduring operations.”
The U.S. began military operations at Camp Simba in 2017, with about 500 troops performing counter-terrorism and border security operations to aid Kenya, according to a US Air Force news release.
It became a permanent U.S. military installation on August 26, 2019, when the American flag was raised over the facility in what the Air Force said signified its “change from tactical to enduring operations.”
In an editorial published in August in the Times of Israel, Imam Mohammad Tawhidi noted Rep. Ilhan Omar’s connections with Somalian businesses that support Al-Shabaab. Omar, born in Somalia, called for the protection of Hormuud Telecom, a private Somalian telecommunications company founded by Ahmed Nur Ali Jima’le in April of 2002, which has been accused of supporting terrorism.
AMERICA! READ. MY. NEW. ARTICLE.
Rep. Ilhan Omar OFFICIALLY calls for the protection and support of a notorious TERRORIST organization and the MAIN financier of Al-Shabab; a US Designated terrorist organization.
What’s your excuse now, @IlhanMN?https://t.co/9dmWeQ2nHN
— Imam of Peace / Pray for Peace… (@Imamofpeace) August 29, 2019
Tawwhidi cited the United Nations Security Council’s Report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Somalia, dated 20 July 2009.
“Ali Ahmed Nur Jim’ale (Jim’ale) has served in leadership roles with the former Somali Council of Islamic Courts, also known as the Somali Islamic Courts Union, which was a radical-Islamist element. The most radical elements of the Somali Islamic Courts Union eventually formed the group known as al-Shabaab.”
“Jim’ale is identified as one of al-Shabaab’s chief financiers and is ideologically aligned with al-Shabaab.”
According to the UN Report, Jim’ale established a front company to fund extremist activities and weapons purchases.
