On Sunday and Monday,the Kenya Air Force conducted air strikes on two al-Shabaab camps just over the border in the Gedo region of Western Somalia,Kenya Defence Forces spokesman Colonel David Obongo said.The raids were carried out in response to al-Shabaab's horrific attack on Garissa University College last Thursday,in which the Islamist extremists killed 148 non-Muslim people,most of them Christian students.The raids were also part of an ongoing strategy against the militants.Garissa is located about 200 kilometers/120 miles from the border with Somalia,which is 700 km long.
An initial raid on the camps,which serve as arms caches and logistical support centres,took place on Sunday;a second sortie was carried out early Monday after more activity was noted in the camps.
The KDF's aerial images show the camps were completely destroyed;but cloud cover made it difficult to estimate the death toll,according to COL Obongo.Al-Shabaab denied that any of its camps were damaged in the raids,saying the bombs hit farm land.*
In 2013,al Shabaab killed 67 people in an assault on Westgate Mall in Nairobi.The jihadi group swore allegiance to al-Qaida in 2012.It was estimated to have about 7,000 fighters in 2014,including foreign fighters.The US has struck at the organisation several times with drone strikes and air strikes,killing some of its leaders,including Moktar Ali Zubayr on 1 September 2014.Their current leader is Ahmad Umar.The militant group is also allied with al-Qaida in the Arabian Penninsula,which is active in Yemen.Al-Shabaab is additionally suspected of having ties with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and Boko Haram,the ISIL affiliate in Nigeria.*
The Kenya Air Force flies the Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighter,an aircraft still used for training by the US Navy and Marine Corps,and is flown by the Swiss,Taiwan and Honduran air forces as well.
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