Al-Shabaab militants attack US-Kenya military base: govt official
Nairobi: Militants from Somalia's Al-Shabaab group on Sunday attacked a military base used by US and Kenyan forces in Kenya's coastal Lamu region, a government official said.
"There was an attack but they have been repulsed," Lamu Commissioner Irungu Macharia told AFP.
He said the attack took place before dawn at the base known as Camp Simba, and that "a security operation is ongoing", without saying if there had been casualties.
"We are not sure if there are still remnants within," he said.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying they had "successfully stormed the heavily fortified military base and have now taken effective control of part of the base." The group said there had been both Kenyan and American casualties, however this could not be immediately verified.
Al-Shabaab said the attack was part of its "Al-Quds (Jerusalem) shall never be Judaized" campaign -- a term it first used during an attack on the upscale Dusit hotel complex in Nairobi in January last year that left 21 people dead.
The Somali militants have staged several large-scale attacks inside Kenya, in retaliation for Nairobi sending troops into Somalia in 2011 to fight the group, as well as to target foreign interests.
Despite years of costly efforts to fight Al-Shabaab, the group on December 28 managed to detonate a vehicle packed with explosives in Mogadishu, killing 81 people.
The spate of attacks highlight the group's resilience and capacity to inflict mass casualties at home and in the region, despite losing control of major urban areas in Somalia.
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Two men shot dead, one injured in firing incident in Punjab’s Batala
Chandigarh (PTI): Two persons were shot dead and one sustained injuries after unidentified persons opened fire at them in Punjab’s Batala late Monday night, police said.
The incident occurred in Bhoma village in Sri Hargobindpur subdivision.
Senior Superintendent of Police Batala, Mehtab Singh said some unidentified people opened fire at three persons who were on a walk.
The deceased were identified as Kashmir Singh and Jugraj Singh, according to the SSP. The injured, identified as another man named Jugraj Singh, has been admitted to a hospital.
Preliminary investigation revealed that there was no angle of extortion or any threat call in this incident, said the SSP.
Investigation in the matter is underway and CCTV footage in the area is being scanned, he said, adding that the culprits would soon be traced.
Police have initiated a thorough investigation and are making all efforts to identify and apprehend the accused at the earliest.
“Our teams are working on this case,” he said while replying to a question.
