Just In : Deaths Recorded As Military Helicopter Crashes Near Border (DETAILS)
A military helicopter crash in Kenya near the border with Somalia has resulted in the loss of at least eight lives, officials reported on Tuesday.
The cause of the crash in the coastal county of Lamu, Kenya, remains unclear. The Kenyan defense forces operate in the area to combat the al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabab group, situated just across the border in Somalia.
The Department of Defense (DoD) stated that the Air Force helicopter crashed during a night patrol.
“A Board of Inquiry has been constituted and dispatched to the scene to establish the cause of the crash,” the statement added.
Security sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to reporters, informed The Associated Press that all military personnel and crew on board the helicopter lost their lives.
However, the DoD, which expressed its condolences to the families of the crew, did not specify the exact number of casualties.
Kenyan troops are also stationed in Somalia as part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia, aiding in the fight against al-Shabab. The Kenyan forces were deployed to Somalia in 2011, but there are now plans to withdraw the multinational forces as Somali troops take on the responsibility for their country’s security.
Al-Shabab has escalated attacks in Kenya in recent months, claiming numerous lives in the border region, as the rebels face mounting pressure from a Somali military offensive launched last year following the election of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as president in May.
