Kenyan soldiers killed by al-shabab rebel group
Not fewer than 10 Kenyan soldiers have lost their lives over an explosive planted by the roadside by suspected al-Shabaab rebel fighters in southern Somalia.
Five others, including civilians, were injured when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Gedo region, near the Kenya-Somalia border on Tuesday night.
Though the names of the killed soldiers have not been revealed, a former Kenyan presidential aspirant said on Twitter that his younger brother was among the dead.
The attack has been blamed on al-Shabab group which carried out similar strikes against civilians and security forces convoys.
The killed soldiers were part of the African Union Mission in Somalia, a peacekeeping force deployed to the country to help the government fight the al-Shabab militants.
In the past two months, there have been an upsurge in militant attacks in the country which have targeted public areas, government installations, and security checkpoints, government officials say.
It comes as the country grapples with a much delayed parliamentary election, with analysts saying the rise in attacks is meant to scuttle the process that will culminate in the elected MPs selecting a new president.
