Three Americans killed in al-Shabaab attack on Kenyan military base

Three ‘terrorist suspects’ also arrested on same day by local police for attempting to enter British Army camp in central Kenya

A US soldier and two contractors have been killed in an attack by al-Shabaab extremists on a military base in Kenya, authorities have confirmed.

Several US aircraft and vehicles were also destroyed during the hours-long assault at Manda Bay Airfield on Sunday morning. Five attackers were killed, a Kenyan military spokesman said.

This was al-Shabaab’s first attack against US forces inside Kenya, where the extremists have carried out multiple deadly attacks against civilian targets including buses, schools and shopping malls.

On the same day, Kenyan police arrested three men who tried to force their way into a British Army training camp in Laikipia county.

An internal police report said the men were being treated as “terrorist suspects”.

A British Army spokesperson said the force did not believe there was a “direct threat to UK personnel or assets”.

They said: “Kenyan police are currently investigating suspicious activity near a base used by the British Army for training.

“We do not believe there was a direct threat to UK personnel or assets and are liaising with the Kenyan authorities as part of their investigation.”

Of the three Americans killed at Manda Bay Airfield, situated in Lamu county, one was a US Army soldier while the other two were Department of Defence contractors.

The attack on the compound “involved indirect and small arms fire. After an initial penetration of the perimeter, Kenya Defence Forces and US Africa Command repelled the al-Shabaab attack”, US officials said in a statement.

“Reports indicate that six contractor-operated civilian aircraft were damaged to some degree. Manda Bay Airfield is utilised by US forces whose missions include providing training to our African partners, responding to crises, and protecting US interests in this strategically important area.”

Al-Shabaab alleged that there were 17 US casualties, nine Kenyan soldiers killed and seven aircraft destroyed. The US Africa Command (Africom) dismissed the claims as “grossly exaggerated”, saying American and Kenyan forces had repelled the attack.

Photos shared with the AP showed the five dead al-Shabaab attackers wearing military uniforms. It was not clear whether the uniforms were Kenyan or Somali. The extremist group is based in neighbouring Somalia and its fighters have worn military uniforms to access areas in the past.

Africom said it would not comment on questions about any changes to its presence or security measures in the region.

The airfield is adjacent to Camp Simba, a key Kenyan military base used by US counter-terror forces.

The latest attack comes just over a week after an al-Shabaab truck bomb in Somalia’s capital killed at least 79 people and US airstrikes killed seven al-Shabaab fighters in response.

Al-Shabaab has vowed retribution on Kenya for sending its troops to Somalia to counter the extremist group.

Additional reporting by AP