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Kenyan soldier captured in El-Adde pleads with Uhuru in al Shabaab video

MOGADISHU (SD) – Al-Shabaab militants have released a video of a man allegedly captured in the El Adde attack asking the President to withdraw troops from Somalia and negotiate release.

The 14-minute video released on Tuesday features a 53-year-old Gerishon Wasike from Trans-Nzoia County, who identifies himself as a KDF soldier and is in the full Kenyan military uniform.

Wasike, gives details of how the terror group overran an Amisom camp on January 15, killing a number the state is yet to confirm.

The prisoner who claimed to have joined the Kenya Defense Forces in 1990 accuses Kenya government and its leadership of neglecting Kenyan prisoners of war who are under al-Shabaab hands.

“I expected the people of Kenya to remind the leaders of the plights of Prisoners of War in Somalia, but they forgot and moved on. The life of a Kenya Soldier is worthless,” he said.

The video does not show other prisoners of war but Wasike mentions colleagues who are also in captivity.

Wasike said he sees no much interest of Kenyans in the Building Bridges Initiative as it couldn’t even save the lives of the detained soldiers.

“We have heard of BBI which means Building Bridges Initiative; they are just building bridges of reconciliation between them while breaking the bridges to free the KDF officers detained by Al-Shabaab.”

On the morning of January 15, 2016, al-Shabaab fighters attacked and overranan AMISOM forward operating base garrisoned by KDF troops from the 9thRifle Battalion.

It is estimated that militants killed more than 200 soldiers and captured over ten others alive.

El Adde was the third AMISOM forward operating base overrun by al-Shabaab   in   seven   months at the time.

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