Eritrea has denied media reports that it sent two planes loaded with weapons to al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia.

Eritrea's foreign affairs ministry released a statement Wednesday calling the accusations “pure fabrication and outright lies.” The ministry again denied that it has supplied weapons to the al-Qaida-linked group and claimed the reports were part of a “disinformation campaign” to undermine Eritrea.

On Tuesday, Kenya's military said it had “reliably confirmed” that two planes landed in the southern Somali town of Baidoa, carrying arms destined for al-Shabab militants. Kenyan military spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir did not indicate who delivered the weapons, but local media reports put the blame on Eritrea.

U.N. monitors have repeatedly accused Eritrea of arming al-Shabab.

The Kenyan army spokesman said Kenya plans a series of airstrikes to prevent the newly arrived arms from reaching al-Shabab fighters in southern Somalia.

Kenya sent troops into Somalia last month to hunt down al-Shabab militants. Kenya has blamed the group for several foreign kidnappings on Kenyan soil in recent weeks.

On Tuesday, Kenya's military said it will soon move into 10 southern Somali towns and has urged civilians to stay away from the areas controlled by al-Shabab.

Spokesman Chirchir said that towns stretching from Baidoa south to the port city of Kismayo will be “under attack continuously.”

Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow Somalia's weak transitional government and impose a strict form of Islamic law. The group recently was pushed out of the capital, Mogadishu, but still controls large sections of southern and central Somalia.