Tuesday January 26, 2016
By Fred Mukinda
Kenya Defence Forces spokesman Colonel David Obonyo at a past press conference. FILE PHOTO | EVANS HABIL
The Defence headquarters has distanced itself from reports attributed to its allies following the El-Adde attack.
The reports range from purported death toll to whether there was intelligence before the bloody January 15 attack in which many soldiers died.
Military spokesman David Obonyo responded to latest claims by Governor Nur Burale of Garbaharey Town in Gedo region who said 200 Kenyan soldiers died in the dawn attack.
“That is propaganda. The figure is way beyond the number expected in a company which has 120 people. There are many soldiers who survived. Some were airlifted to Nairobi while others are in Wajir awaiting deployment,” he said.
Col Obonyo, however, declined to give the death toll or the number of survivors and missing soldiers.
Last week, Chief of Defence Forces Samson Mwathethe said the figures would be established by a board of inquiry.
He also disputed reports attributed to a Somali general who said Kenya had received intelligence that the camp would be attacked.
Al-Shabaab militants gained entry into the camp using three vehicles full of explosives.
The camp was finally recaptured by reinforcements from Wajir, Mandera and El-Wak.
At the same time, families have been asked to provide DNA samples to help in identifying the remains of fallen soldiers.
Help desks have been established at the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital, Gilgil, Eldoret and Mombasa.