A top US army general has dismissed reports indicating that he died on Sunday during a raid waged by Al-Shabaab militants in Kenya.
General Stephen Townsend, the commander of US Africa Command, termed the reports as "grossly exaggerated" propaganda.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack at Camp Simba, which left three Americans dead. One of the deceased was a US Marine Corp.
In a statement, the Somalia-based militants claimed that at least 17 US soldiers were killed along with nine troops from KDF.
But in a statement on Monday, Gen. Townsend accused Al-Shabaab of propagating falsehoods as self-defence for their "injustices and hate".
"Reports of my death are grossly exaggerated. This is another example of lies, propaganda and fake news coming from Al-Shabaab and their associates," he said.
The US has deployed over 7,000 troops across Africa under AFRICOM to safeguard her strategic interests in the continent.
Defense Secretary Mark Esper in December 2019 hinted at plans to scale down the troops with an option of withdrawal.
However, Townsend said the US shall continue working closely with allies in Africa to eradicate terrorists and their associates.
"AFRICOM continues to work with our partners to protect US interests and eradicate terrorists who wish to harm innocent people," he added.
Camp Simba attack also left military aircraft and other equipment destroyed. Two KDF soldiers were severely wounded, AFRICOM reported.
Five terrorists were killed after almost six hours of the gunfight that also led to the recovery of sophisticated weapons, KDF revealed.