Kenya: Crash of a military helicopter resulting in the death of its crew and the soldiers on board
A military helicopter crashed in Kenya on Tuesday 19 September during a night patrol along the north coast, killing its crew and the soldiers on board. The accident occurred as part of Operation Amani Boni, as revealed in a statement issued by the army on Tuesday. The scene of the tragedy is Lamu County, an area known to be a hideout for the Somali-based Shebab terrorist group.
The Kenyan Defence Force, which did not specify the number of casualties among its ranks, announced that investigators would be sent to the scene.
The creation of a commission of enquiry was also announced to determine the causes of the accident.
No information was given on the possible involvement of Shebab terrorists in this incident.
The Shebab group has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) since 2007.
Kenya, which has deployed troops to participate in the missions of this African force, sometimes suffers heavy losses as a result of attacks by the Shebab rebels.
As recently as Sunday, Shebab terrorists ambushed Ethiopian peacekeepers, killing several soldiers.
Prior to Sunday’s attack, numerous assaults had been carried out by the Shebab rebels.
In early June, a terrorist attack by Shebab rebels on a hotel in Mogadishu left at least 16 people dead and more than 10 injured, most of them civilians.
This followed an attack at the end of May against soldiers of the African military mission in Somalia, claimed by the Shebab armed group.
Pedro OKALAMAR
