Eleven Kenyan Soldiers Wounded In Truck Blast Near Somalia

Posted November 24th, 2011 at 6:00 am (UTC-5)
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Officials and local media say eleven Kenyan soldiers were wounded early Thursday when an explosive device went off under their truck as they patrolled an area near Kenya's borders with Somalia and Ethiopia.

There are no immediate reports of fatalities in the attack, which took place near the town of Mandera.

Authorities suspect the improvised explosive device was planted by al-Shabab militants.

Kenyan forces entered southern Somalia in October to hunt for al-Shabab, and since then have conducted sporadic airstrikes on militant targets.

On Tuesday, an unidentified fighter jet bombed a rebel-held town in Somalia, killing one person, while a blast in the capital, Mogadishu killed at least 10.

Separately Tuesday, a roadside bomb exploded in the Wadajir district of southern Mogadishu. Witnesses told VOA the attack took place on a busy road just north of Mogadishu's airport.

Kenya has blamed the Islamic insurgents for a string of kidnappings of foreigners on Kenyan soil.

Al-Shabab has been fighting since 2008 to topple Somalia's weak central government. The group is believed to have ties to al-Qaida, and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.