A Somali military officer was shot dead on Friday by Kenya as Somali National Army and Kenya’s Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU) clashed in Elwak town, Somalia’s border Kenya.
The tension was high for hours in the area with the presence of the foreign troops, who crossed the border into Somalia without informing the town’s local administration.
According to Hussein Deyr Adaawe, A Somali military officer, SNA soldiers engaged Kenya’s ATPU soldier in a gun battle early Friday morning after Kenya’s soldiers with three technical vehicles entered the town.
Adaawe said Mohamed Adan Yussuf, SNA lieutenant was killed in the fighting between the sides.
The incident scared away local residents, bringing the business and other activities in the town to a halt.
He pointed out that they contacted the government of Kenya saying the Nairobi government denied engaging any clash with Somali forces.
“We contacted the officials of Kenya government but they distanced themselves from the raid, as for now we forward the matter to both Jubbaland State and The Federal Government of Somalia, investigation into the incident is underway,” said Adaawe.
It is yet unclear the reason behind ATPU’s raid on Elwak town which is under the control of Somali government.
He said security was okay in the area hence no cause for alarm.
Mohamed Ahmed, another Somali soldier told Reuters that Kenyan soldiers may have mistook the Somali soldiers for Al-Shabaab militants.
Kenya sent its troops to Somalia in 2011 to fight Alshabaab militants after the militants were blamed for a spate of kidnappings and killings in Kenya. Kenya is also a major troop-contributing country to AMISOM.
