KDF kill 15 Al Shabaab militants, destroy base

At least 15 Al Shabaab militants have been killed and dozens injured after the Kenya Defense Forces fighter jets bombed their bases in Yantooy, Somalia on Sunday.

In this latest offensive operation against the Somalia based militant group, KDF managed to destroy an assortment of weapons and two powerful motorboats used by the militants to cross River Jubba and stage attacks on Amisom bases in lower Juba.

KDF spokesman Colonel David Obonyo said Yantooy is strategically situated across River Jubba and has been the main base used by the terrorist group to cross the river from their headquarters in Jilib and infiltrate lower Juba.

Colonel Obonyo added that the ongoing airstrikes are in preparation for the capture of Jilib, which is the remaining Al Shabaab headquarters in lower Shabelle.

The attack comes barely one week after Security agencies released photographs of five terror suspects, among them a suspected female suicide bomber and her husband, who are wanted for links with the Al-Shabaab militia.

The five were suspected to be in Al-Shabaab camps in Somalia but intelligence reports have revealed they are planning to sneak into Kenya to carry out attacks.

On Saturday, A high-ranking member and spiritual leader of Al-Shabaab pledged allegiance to ISIS, a move that further fractures the Somali-based jihadi group and spreads the reach of ISIS farther into Africa.

The report that formerly UK-based Abdul Qadir Mumin had sworn loyalty to ISIS came from a source familiar with Al-Shabaab and was supported by a U.S. intelligence source, who said Mumin’s pledge came in a video that is expected to be released online.

In the video, Mumin, along with several other jihadists based in Somalia’s Central Region, swear their allegiance to ISIS. Some known Al-Shabaab members have already done so online.

Al-Shabaab’s leadership pledged loyalty to al Qaeda in 2012.