Somalia militant group al-Shabaab ambushed Kenyan soldiers’ convoy serving with the African Union peace forces in Somalia on Saturday.
The insurgents launched attacks on the army convoy near the village of Afmadow, Lower Juba region close to the Somalia-Kenya border, sparking intense gun battles.
According to sources around the area, the battle which lasted for some hours caused casualties between both sides. The Kenyan peacekeepers were accompanied by Somali government soldiers.
A Somali army official confirmed to the VOA that one soldier died at the scene and seven others injured, adding that two armoured cars were damaged.
In the meantime, a spokesman for al-Shabaab claimed that heavy casualties were incurred to the AU troops during the attack.
On the other hand, AMISOM officials are yet to comment on neither the incident nor the Kenyan government.
The al Qaeda-allied group frequently launches attacks on officials in its bid to topple the Western-backed government and impose its strict interpretation of Islam on the nation, which is struggling to rebuild after two decades of war.
