Islamist Group Al Shabaab Attacks US Military Base

Somalia's Islamist group al Shabaab has attacked a military base in Kenya that is being used by both the U.S. and Kenyan forces. 

The attacked was reportedly carried out on Sunday, January 5, 2020, at the military base in Lamu county.

A military source confirmed the attack to Reuters, saying: "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 U.S. We are informed that fighting is still ongoing,"

The source added that fighters were trying to access the base from the airstrip.

Al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgent group fighting to overthrow the Somali government, also put out a statement promising to carry more attacks. 

"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 al Shabaab statement said.

"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 statement added.

There are no immediate reports of casualties, but the attack comes a year after al Shabaab launched a deadly suicide attack at the14 Riverside complex in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, killing 21 people.