Kenya says troops to remain in Somalia despite retreat reports
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E-mail Xinhua, January 27, 2016
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) troops serving under the African Union mandate in Somalia will continue to pacify the Horn of Africa nation, a military official said Tuesday.
KDF spokesman David Obonyo also denied media reports that Kenyan soldiers are pulling out from areas in southern Somalia towards the border, saying they were only involved in operational tactics.
He said Kenyan soldiers will continue serving under the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM), noting that the military has no immediate plans to withdraw its forces in the Horn of African nation.
"The reports are not true; we remain in our areas of responsibility as per the AMISOM deployment," Obonyo told Xinhua by telephone.
Obonyo's assurance comes amid reports that Kenyan forces are retreating from two military bases in southern Somalia, barely two weeks after Al-Shabaab militants attacked their camp there on Jan. 15.
Reports from Somalia said the Al-Shabaab fighters have retaken Badhadhe town, about 40km from Somalia-Kenya border which had been under KDF control since 2012.
Other reports said the Islamic insurgents were seen in the southern town of Badhadhe after the Kenyan troops pulled out of the town.
According to locals, fierce clashes ensued in the outskirt of Badhadhe after the Islamic insurgents ambushed KDF soldiers who were withdrawing from the town heading towards the Kenya-Somalia border.
"The soldiers are not withdrawing from any of our positions," Obonyo said.
Kenya has more than 4,000 troops in the 22,000-strong AU force in Somalia, helping the UN-backed government battle Al-Shabaab since 2011.
Al-Shabaab, which is part of the Al-Qaida allied terror network, has vowed reprisal attacks in the country, mainly targeting security forces in border towns of northern Kenya where dozens of people have been killed in landmine and grenade attacks blamed on the militant group.
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