At least ten Kenyan soldiers were killed in a roadside blast in Lamu county, which is located along the North Coast of Kenya, Sunday, officials confirmed Monday.
The Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) condemned the attack in the Buure area but did not confirm the number of casualties.
A security official, however, said ten soldiers were killed and four others wounded after their vehicle which was on patrol ran over an improvised explosive device along Milimani Baure road.
The official who declined to be named said ten of the personnel on board were killed on the spot and those who sustained injuries are in serious condition. "The condition of the injured soldiers is bad," the official said, noting that the explosion destroyed the vehicle.
In a statement issued Monday in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, the KDF condemned the incident, saying the criminals were determined to disrupt the movement of people and goods in the area and thus destroy socioeconomic stability in the area.
"KDF calls on the residents to share information with security agencies on these criminal elements who lurk in their communities," the military said. Lamu County has been in the spotlight for some years now owing to increased scathing attacks by the militants that have left hordes of security officers and civilians dead.
Security personnel believe there is an active al-Shabab cell in the area given the attack on the KDF came hours after another one left two construction workers with serious injuries on Sept. 9.
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