Kenyan jets bomb southern Somali town, 12 killed

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Kenyan jets bomb southern Somali town, 12 killed

By Sahra Abdi and Faruq | Reuters – 1 hour 20 minutes ago

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - At least 12 people were killed Sunday when two Kenyan jets

bombed the southern Somali town of Jilib, residents and officials said, as the

east African nation fights to rid Somalia of Islamist al Shabaab rebels.

Kenya moved its troops into Somalia in mid-October in pursuit of Somali

insurgents it blames for a series of kidnappings on Kenyan soil and frequent

assaults on its security forces in the border province of North Eastern.

" Twelve civilians died including six children and 52 others were injured after

Kenyan jets bombarded an IDP (internally displaced people) camp in the town, "

said Mohamud Ali Harbi, a local elder in Jilib, 120 km (74 miles) north of the

port of Kismayu.

Emmanuel Chirchir, the Kenyan military spokesman, could not immediately confirm

the raid when contacted by Reuters, saying they were waiting for an operational

update from the ground.

" The jets bombarded two places, an al Shabaab base and a nearby IDP camp, "

Hassan Abdiwahab, a resident in Jilib, told Reuters.

But al Shabaab said the five bombs dropped by the planes hit a bus stop, the IDP

camp and an area just outside of the town.

A top official of the group, Sheikh Muktar Robow Abu Mansoor, Thursday urged

their followers to attack Kenya with " huge blasts " in retaliation for the

campaign that is being carried out jointly with Somali government troops.

The call followed two grenade attacks in the capital Nairobi that killed one

person and injured over 20 more Monday. Unknown militants also carried out two

attacks on vehicles in the remote northern Kenya.

Mohammud Farah, spokesman for the Ras Kamboni militia that is allied to the

Somali Transitional Federal Government said they seized a four-by-four vehicle

laden with explosives that was headed to Kenya.

" Our forces in patrol found the car 8 km away from the town on its way to Kenya

and we have discovered different types of explosive materials in the car, " Farah

told Reuters from Dhobley town, which is close to the border.

The vehicle was carrying 10 passengers, four of whom were identified as al

Shabaab fighters, he added.

Kenya said Saturday it was committed to withdrawal from Somalia once it is

satisfied that it has stripped the al Qaeda-linked group's capacity to carry out

attacks across the border.

Although the Kenyan chief of defense forces said his troops had chased al

Shabaab from the whole of Gedo region, the two-week old campaign has been slowed

considerably by heavy rains.

Chirchir said the intense rains had started to abate, allowing Kenyan forces to

plan an offensive of Afmadow in Lower Juba region, where al Shabaab has been

digging in after reinforcing with fighters from other areas.

" Now that the rains have subsided, the taking of Afmadow is likely. It should be

very soon, " he said.

Two Ugandan soldiers were injured Saturday when African Union troops came under

an al Shabaab attack in Mogadishu.

Rwanda's President Kagame, South Africa's President Zuma and

Tanzania's Jakaya Kikwete expressed their support for Kenya's military action in

Somalia, the Kenyan presidency said in a statement from Perth, Australia, where

President Mwai Kibaki was attending the Commonwealth summit.

(Additional reporting by Feisal ; Writing by Duncan Miriri)