KISMAYO (SD) – At least three Kenyan military soldiers have been killed and several other wounded after heavily armed al-Shabaab fighters attacked military base in southern Somalia.

According to multiple sources, al-Shabaab militants started with motor shells on the base in Elwak town of Gedo region.

In a statement, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) said their forces repelled al-Shabaab attack on a base belonging to KDF soldiers under African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom).

“The forces defended the base. Several militants were killed in the fighting. During the clashes, KDF lost three soldiers but the soldiers showed bravery and drove al-Shabaab militants away,” the statement reads in part.

Al-Shabaab claimed the responsibility for the attack, saying their fighters inflicted heavy casualties on Kenya forces in the base.

Kenya’s military has been operating in southern Somalia since 2011 when the East Africa nation deployed its troops to al-Shabaab.

For the past decade, Kenya lost hundreds of soldiers to fight against the group which mainly operates in Somalia and Kenyan coastal regions.

Al-Shabaab overran Kenyan military camps in El-Adde and Kulbiyow town, where hundreds of soldiers working under the framework of AMISOM were killed.