Terrorism In Africa: Al-Shabab Under Attack In Somalia Amid Killing Claims

The al-Shabab militant group had dozens of its fighters killed in a firefight with Kenyan soldiers during a raid in Somalia this weekend, Kenya's military announced Monday. But the regional terror group affiliated with al-Qaeda soon said those reports were false.

It was not immediately clear which side was being most forthcoming, but the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) released a letter stated Monday detailing that it called "a raid and destruction on two Al-Shabab command and logistics bases" in Somalia, including the deaths of 31 al-Shabab fighters. Al-Shabab's subsequent denial was reported by a local journalist who cited the terror group's news outlet Radio Andulus.

Read: 136 People Have Starved To Death In Somalia This Month

KDF was able to seize dozens of weapons of war from al-Shabab, including guns, while orchestrating the raid both on the ground and from the air with the use of "attack helicopters," the letter said.

Al-Shabab has been launching terror attacks in the region, including in Somalia and neighboring Kenya, in recent years out of protest of Western governments' involvement in the countries. KDF was called in to help the Somali government fight the militant group, which has initiated dozens of attacks ranging from suicide bombings to kidnappings and assassinations since 2006.

Most recently, a senior Somali official was killed in broad day light during a drive-by shooting in the capital of Mogadishu on Saturday, according to local news outlet Garowe Online. While no group had immediately stepped forward to claim responsibility, the shooting bore all the hallmarks of an attack by al-Shabab, local officials said.

Read: Al-Shabab Leader Surrenders In Somalia

The news of the raid came days after the U.S. requested that the pentagon grant it more "flexibility" in its approach to combatting al-Shabab in Somalia. Not acting soon could turn the East African nation into a "free-fire zone," Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the head of U.S. Africa Command, said Friday.

Aside from al-Shabab terror, a Somali pirate ship hijacked an oil tanker earlier this month in a possible resurgence of piracy taking place in the country. That instance of piracy was not a result of al-Shabab's doings.