Monday, September 03, 2012
A Kenyan Air Force F-5 fighter jet (file photo)
Kenyan fighter jets have mistakenly targeted a pro-government militia group in southern part of the war-torn Somalia, Press TV reports
A Somali military official told Press TV that several Kenyan warplanes launched attacks on Sunday and bombarded Ras Kamboni militias by mistake.
The raids claimed the lives of at least 51 Kenyan and Somali forces.
The Kenyan forces, currently under the command of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), are dealing with specific al-Shabab targets, but security has also been stepped up on the Kenyan side of the border.
Kenya regularly carries out airstrikes in the Somali border regions.
Somalia has not had an effective central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
The weak Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab for the past five years and is propped up by a thousand strong African Union force from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.