Al-Shabaab militants on Monday evening attacked a military convoy in Middle Shebelle region, the first onslaught against AMISOM troops in as many months.
Kenya Defense Forces are part of peace keeping mission within AMISOM forces operating in Jubbaland and Southwest region where Shebelle is located.
Sources say that Improvised Explosive Device was detonated at the military convoy but the exact number of casualties could not be established at that time.
"As many as five IEDs reportedly targetted AMISOM military vehicles on Monday in the vicinity between Bal’ad town and El-Gelow village in Middle Shabelle region; exact casualties not known," reports indicated.
The attack comes amid maritime border row between Kenya and Somalia, a move that could lead to withdrawal of Kenya troops from AMISOM.
Last week, Kenya accused Somalia of failing to push for her bid to have Al-Shabaab militants profiled as terrorists group, a move that has even widened cracks between the two countries.
“That we have failed to get one additional sanction regime will not deter us from remaining focused on our goal which is to eliminate terror in our country and in the world at large. God willing,” Macharia Kamau, the Kenyan Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary told The EastAfrican.
Abukar Dahir Osman, Somalia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, laid the blame on Kenya, citing Nairobi’s alleged refusal to co-operate in implementing existing sanctions.
“[We] urge [the] Kenyan government to implement existing Security Council Resolution 751 targeting Al Shabaab, including the ban on illegal charcoal trade in Somalia, which is the lifeline of the group to finance its operations in the region,” he twitted Wednesday night.