The bodies of four Kenyan soldiers killed in a Somali base attack were returned to Nairobi on Monday evening.
The victims’ caskets, draped in Kenyan national flags, were received at Nairobi’s Wilson Airport by defence officials who witnessed a military guard of honor for the fallen soldiers.
Kenyan officials have not said how many soldiers were killed when Islamic extremist fighters attacked a base for African Union peacekeepers in southwestern Somalia on Friday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta confirmed on Friday that some soldiers had been killed in the attack, which involved suicide car bombs and gunmen. Al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility for the attack, claims about 100 Kenyans were killed in the attack. Kenyan Defence Secretary Raychelle Omamo said on Monday that more bodies would be brought to Kenya in the coming days.
The army has set up helplines for the families of those killed, with no further information on the number of the dead.
Although no toll has been released, former prime minister and Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said it was the worst such attack for the east African nation’s army.
