Kenyan military kill 57 al-Shabaab in dawn raid

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - The Kenyan military Thursday said it had killed 57 al-Shabaab militants in Somalia in a dawn raid.

According to a Kenya Defense Forces media statement, the raid on the militants under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) happened 31 kilometers northwest of the Afmadow area in Somalia close to the Subow center.

Artillery shells rained on the unsuspecting militants with support from helicopter gunships, leaving many injured, it said.

"In the onslaught 57 members of the al-Shabaab militia were killed and an unknown number injured, and 5 technicals were destroyed among other weapons," the defense force said.

The Kenyan military said it was pursuing fleeing militants who were injured during the attack and vowed to aid AMISOM to stabilize the war-torn Horn of Africa country.