A US soldier was among three killed in an attack at Manda
Air field.
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 24-The United States has vowed to pursue the perpetrators of January 5 Manda Bay airfield attack, that left three Americans, among them a soldier dead and 6 hi-tech surveillance aircraft destroyed.
The three were killed after Al-Shabaab militants launched a dawn assault at the joint Kenya-US military camp located in Lamu County.
In a statement, US Africa Command said already security measures have been put in place, to seal any possible loopholes, to avoid a similar in future.
“The attack at Manda Bay demonstrates that Al-Shabaab remains a dangerous and capable enemy,” said U.S. Army Gen. Stephen Townsend, U.S. Africa commander.
“They are a menace to the people of East Africa and U.S. national interests there and their sights are set on eventually attacking the U.S. homeland,” he said.
The US said they will not relent until the attackers who managed to escape are brought to justice.
Five of the attackers were killed, while others escaped.
“It is important that we continue to pursue Al-Shabaab and prevent their vision from becoming a reality,” Gen. Townsend said.
The command said an initial assessment indicates that “a timely and effective response to the attack reduced the number of casualties and eliminated the potential for further damage.”
The Somali jihadists have staged several large-scale attacks inside Kenya, in retaliation for Nairobi sending troops into Somalia in 2011 to fight the group.
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