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Somalia: Anger After Kenyan ‘Hero’ Soldiers Killed in Somalia

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4 years ago

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More than 10 Kenyan soldiers have been killed by a roadside explosive in southern Somalia, according to the family of one of those who died.

Neither the government nor Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) have made an official comment about the deaths – to the anger of Prof J Ole Kiyiapi, who said on Twitter that his brother, Johnson Olemoi Kiyiapi, was one of those who were killed.

Prof Kiyiapi, a former presidential candidate, told the BBC he was disappointed with the authorities “for not acknowledging and honouring the deaths of the heroes”.

He said the family found out about the death of his younger brother on Tuesday after military officials visited their rural home in the Rift Valley, but there had been no official statement.

“This is what is making me angry and sad. These young men were ready and have paid the ultimate price protecting their country, but it’s as if the KDF wants to keep this thing a secret,” he told the BBC.

“Look at how the US treats their fallen soldiers in war, they are given respect and acknowledged, yet here days after the government and the military have just been silent.”

Reports of the attack first appeared on local media in Somalia on Monday, with al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab fighters suspected to be behind it.

Five other soldiers were also reportedly seriously injured when their vehicle ran over an improvised explosive device in the Gedo region, near the Kenya-Somalia border.