Islamic Terrorists Attack US Forces at Military Base in Africa
Somali terror group Al Shababb launches attack on base in Kenya used by US forces
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An Islamic terrorist group has launched an attack against a military base in Africa used by US forces, seemingly in retaliation for the killing of Iran's General Qasem Soleimani, according to early reports.
The military base in Kenya came under attack in the early hours of Sunday morning by Somalia’s largest Islamic terrorist organization Al Shababb.
“They have attacked Manda airstrip in Lamu, which is just next to the military camp that hosts military personnel from many countries including Kenya and the US," a military source reportedly told Reuters.
"We are informed that fighting is still ongoing.”
According to Reuters’ source, the terrorists were attempting to get inside the military base by going through the airstrip.
Early reports suggest a suicide car bomb was used to breach the entrance to the base.
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The report from Reuters also included the following statement from the terrorist organization:
An elite group of soldiers from Harakat Al-Shabaab Al Mujahideen’s ‘Martyrdom Brigade’ launched a daring dawn raid on a U.S. naval base known as ‘Camp Simba’ in Lamu County, Kenya. … the base is home to hundreds of U.S.military personnel and Kenyan soldiers and serves as one of the many launch pads for the American crusade against Islam in the region.
The attack comes as U.S. forces are on high alert for possible aggression after President Donald Trump authorized an airstrike this week that killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, which is a designated terrorist organization.
An Iranian official indicated that it was considering some 35 different U.S. targets to strike in response to the U.S. killing its top terrorist leader.
Trump responded via Twitter late on Saturday night, writing, “Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, & badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime, including recently hundreds of Iranian protesters.”
“He was already attacking our Embassy and preparing for additional hits in other locations. Iran has been nothing but problems for many years,” Trump continued.
“Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!”
The U.S. State Department reported in October 2019 that the most recent terrorism statistics available indicated that Al-Shabaab was the third deadliest terrorist organization in 2018 as it conducted 535 attacks in Somalia and Kenya that resulted in the 2,062 deaths and 1,278 injuries.
The fact that the terrorist group, according to Reuters, had accepted responsibility for the attack appears to be out of the ordinary given how Al-Shabaab reportedly operates.
The State Department said that Al-Shabaab has “a known policy of not claiming responsibility for incidents outside Somalia even though they are active in neighboring countries.”
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The State Department further noted that of the 306 assassinations that happened in 40 countries around the world in 2018, Somalia accounted for 60 of them and Al-Shabaab was responsible for 51.
Al-Shabaab also deployed the use of IEDs more frequently than any other terrorist organization.
The Counter Extremism Project reported that Al-Shabaab has reportedly received funding from the government of Iran.
Journalists posted the following videos and images of the purported attack on Twitter:
Al-Shabaab has attacked a US military base in Lamu, Kenya.
— Samira Sawlani (@samirasawlani) January 5, 2020
No news on casualties etc as gunfire exchange continues pic.twitter.com/6KPPRUoacK
BREAKING: Reports from Kenya say Al-Shabaab militants have launched a dawn attack on Kenya military base in Lamu County. A suicide car bomb reportedly breached the entry to Camp Simba, Manda Bay. The explosion sent plume of dark smoke into the sky, photos purportedly show. pic.twitter.com/OxL8H1Qvgs
— Harun Maruf (@HarunMaruf) January 5, 2020
JUST IN - Alshabab Fighters claim responsibility - A Military Base in Manda Bay ,Lamu was attacked this morning . Gunshots can still be heard . pic.twitter.com/YI19ZvxeNG
— Hussein Mohammed (@huseinmoha) January 5, 2020
BREAKING: Al-Shabaab militants attack U.S./Kenyan military base in Lamu; reports of casualties pic.twitter.com/WMhDwo3MDS
— BNO News (@BNONews) January 5, 2020
This is a developing news story; please check back for updates.
