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Battle of El Adde
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Battle of El Adde
The Battle of El Adde took place on 15 January 2016. Al-Shabaab militants launched an attack on a Kenyan-run AMISOM army base in the town of El Adde, Gedo, Somalia. It remains the deadliest attack on the African Union Mission to Somalia and is the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) largest defeat since independence in 1963. As such, the Kenyan government went to extreme lengths to conceal the extent of its losses. It has been described by the media as a "military massacre" or military disaster. It was also the largest military defeat in Kenyan history.
In 2011, Kenya launched an incursion into Somalia, "Operation Linda Nchi." In 2012 Kenya joined the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). From that time, the KDF has occupied the southern Gedo Region of Somalia with around 3,000 troops.
According to Abas Ibrahim Gurey, a Marehan war leader in the area who often cooperates with the Somali authorities, clear and reliable intelligence of an imminent attack had been passed along to the commanding officer in charge of the El Adde base, 45 days in advance.
On 15 January, at 6:30 a.m before morning prayers, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive laden armoured personnel carrier to the front gate to an AMISOM garrison base in El-Adde, Gedo, Somalia. The base compound housed a company of men belonging to both the 5th and 9th Kenya Rifles. Both Kenyan Rifle Battalions were detached to the El-Adde base only two weeks beforehand. The total size of the garrison that day has been generally put at around 600 Kenyan troops present.
According to KDF spokesperson General Samson Mwathethe, the explosion was three times more powerful than the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Nairobi. The massive blast damaged the command and communications buildings, as well as an armory and fuel depots of the base, killing dozens of soldiers. Al Shabaab named the suicide bomber as AbduQadir Ali.
The suicide explosion was a precursor to an estimated 150 to 300 Al-Shabaab fighters assaulting the base with rocket-propelled grenades and assault weapons. The attack caught Kenyan troops unprepared and asleep. At approximately 7:30 a.m, the battle lasted for more than one hour of fierce fighting, until Kenyan troops were routed from the base and fled into the dense bush pursued by Al Shabaab militants.
A neighboring Somali National Army (SNA) base located 600 meters away from the AMISOM base, was empty of troops, who allegedly left and were warned hours before the attack, per the Kenyan military. It was initially reported that the SNA base came under assault and Kenyan troops were supporting the Somali Army and that the KDF had incurred unspecified losses. However, this story was revised.
According to the Cable News Network (CNN), "The apparent ease with which the militants breached barriers at El Adde has surprised many security analysts -- especially since the same style of assault had been seen before in bloody attacks on AMISOM forces."
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Battle of El Adde
The Battle of El Adde took place on 15 January 2016. Al-Shabaab militants launched an attack on a Kenyan-run AMISOM army base in the town of El Adde, Gedo, Somalia. It remains the deadliest attack on the African Union Mission to Somalia and is the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) largest defeat since independence in 1963. As such, the Kenyan government went to extreme lengths to conceal the extent of its losses. It has been described by the media as a "military massacre" or military disaster. It was also the largest military defeat in Kenyan history.
In 2011, Kenya launched an incursion into Somalia, "Operation Linda Nchi." In 2012 Kenya joined the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). From that time, the KDF has occupied the southern Gedo Region of Somalia with around 3,000 troops.
According to Abas Ibrahim Gurey, a Marehan war leader in the area who often cooperates with the Somali authorities, clear and reliable intelligence of an imminent attack had been passed along to the commanding officer in charge of the El Adde base, 45 days in advance.
On 15 January, at 6:30 a.m before morning prayers, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive laden armoured personnel carrier to the front gate to an AMISOM garrison base in El-Adde, Gedo, Somalia. The base compound housed a company of men belonging to both the 5th and 9th Kenya Rifles. Both Kenyan Rifle Battalions were detached to the El-Adde base only two weeks beforehand. The total size of the garrison that day has been generally put at around 600 Kenyan troops present.
According to KDF spokesperson General Samson Mwathethe, the explosion was three times more powerful than the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Nairobi. The massive blast damaged the command and communications buildings, as well as an armory and fuel depots of the base, killing dozens of soldiers. Al Shabaab named the suicide bomber as AbduQadir Ali.
The suicide explosion was a precursor to an estimated 150 to 300 Al-Shabaab fighters assaulting the base with rocket-propelled grenades and assault weapons. The attack caught Kenyan troops unprepared and asleep. At approximately 7:30 a.m, the battle lasted for more than one hour of fierce fighting, until Kenyan troops were routed from the base and fled into the dense bush pursued by Al Shabaab militants.
A neighboring Somali National Army (SNA) base located 600 meters away from the AMISOM base, was empty of troops, who allegedly left and were warned hours before the attack, per the Kenyan military. It was initially reported that the SNA base came under assault and Kenyan troops were supporting the Somali Army and that the KDF had incurred unspecified losses. However, this story was revised.
According to the Cable News Network (CNN), "The apparent ease with which the militants breached barriers at El Adde has surprised many security analysts -- especially since the same style of assault had been seen before in bloody attacks on AMISOM forces."
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