El Adde Military Base Attack
The El Adde Military Base Attack occurred on January 15, 2016, targeting a facility in southern Somalia occupied by Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) as part of their commitment to the African Union peacekeeping mission. The attack was carried out by the militant group al-Shabaab, which has ties to al-Qaeda, and resulted in significant casualties, with estimates suggesting that between 100 and 200 KDF soldiers were killed. The assault commenced with a truck bomb detonation followed by waves of suicide bombers and armed militants storming the base. Following the attack, KDF forces launched a counteroffensive and successfully retook control of the base by January 21, 2016.
In the aftermath, the Kenyan government faced criticism for its lack of transparency regarding the number of soldiers killed, with reports indicating that attempts to investigate and report on the incident were met with intimidation of journalists. The media blackout imposed by the government aimed to limit information dissemination, as officials argued that publicizing details could benefit al-Shabaab. The attack and subsequent military response highlighted the ongoing challenges of security in the region and the persistent threat posed by militant groups like al-Shabaab in Somalia and neighboring countries.
Subject Terms
El Adde Military Base Attack
Date: January 15, 2016
Place: El Adde, Somalia
Summary
The El Adde military base attack was an assault in January 2016 targeting a base in El Adde, Somalia, staffed by Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) troops stationed there as part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has been linked to al-Qaeda, took responsibility for the attack. Reports indicate that between one hundred and two hundred KDF soldiers were killed in the attack.
Key Events
- January 15, 2016—Al-Shabaab attacks El Adde military base with trucks outfitted with explosives, and between 150 and 300 armed al-Shabaab militants.
- January 16, 2016—KDF forces find weaponry taken from El Adde in a terrorist camp in El Gadud.
- January 21, 2016—KDF forces retake El Adde military base.
- January 22, 2016—Maalim Janow, leader of the Abu Zubair wing of al-Shabaab, is reportedly killed in a KDF attack.
Status
As of October 2016, the Kenyan government had not released any official figures regarding the number of soldiers killed in the El Adde base attack. However, in a February press release, Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohammud stated that between 180 and 200 soldiers were killed. The Kenyan government has arrested and intimidated journalists attempting to report on details of the incident, saying media attention benefits al-Shabaab and violates certain provisions of the Kenyan Information and Communication Act. Public calls continue for the government to release more information about the attack and the identities of the soldiers killed.
In-Depth Overview
Al-Shabaab (The Youth) is an East African terrorist organization active in Somalia and neighboring nations. The group was originally a youth wing of the now-defunct Islamic Courts Union, an Islamic activist organization headquartered in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. In 2012, al-Shabaab announced that they were allying with al-Qaeda, at which time US intelligence suggested that the group had between five thousand and nine thousand fighters. The group has been linked to dozens of terrorist attacks in Somalia and neighboring Kenya, including the April 2015 Garissa University massacre that resulted in the deaths of at least 147 students and teachers. In 2011, the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) joined the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM), a peacekeeping operation aimed at supporting the Somali government and combatting al-Shabaab. The KDF has been active in southern Somalia, which borders Kenya and is al-Shabaab’s stronghold.
Around dawn on January 15, 2016, al-Shabaab militants detonated a truck outfitted with explosives outside a military base by the town of El Adde (sometimes rendered as el-Ade) in southern Somalia. Eyewitness reports indicate that another vehicle arrived carrying at least fifteen suicide bombers who rushed the base and killed themselves by detonating explosives fixed to their bodies. Another vehicle outfitted with explosives detonated at the base shortly thereafter, followed by a second round of individual suicide bombers with explosives fitted to their persons. Another vehicle arrived shortly thereafter carrying between seventy and one hundred armed militants who proceeded to capture wounded KDF soldiers and opened fire on remaining soldiers. Some reports indicate that another one hundred al-Shabaab fighters arrived soon after the first attack. By 2:00 p.m., al-Shabaab had control of the camp and moved into surrounding areas in pursuit of fleeing Kenyan soldiers.
According to General Samson Mwathethe, head of the KDF, the first report of the attack arrived at 6:30 a.m., after which the KDF dispatched helicopters and a surveillance plane. Surveillance aircraft noted the presence of possible anti-aircraft artillery and the KDF was therefore forced to drive to the base from 100 kilometers away. Mwathethe reported that explosives planted in the road hindered their progress, delaying their arrival at the captured base. Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta released a press statement confirming the attack, reporting that al-Shabaab was believed to be responsible, but giving no details regarding casualties. The day after the attack, KDF forces attacked an al-Shabaab camp in El Gadud, 30 kilometers from El Adde, where they located weaponry stolen from the base.
On January 16, al-Shabaab claimed to have killed at least one hundred KDF soldiers in the attack, and the group released photos displaying captured vehicles and weaponry taken from El Adde as well as the bodies of dead soldiers. The group also released sound recordings of captured Kenyan soldiers, with two recorded individuals identifying themselves as Isaack Balewa and Lawrence Kamau. The KDF did not confirm that the recordings released by al-Shabaab were legitimate.
The Kenyan government imposed a media blackout in an attempt to prevent reporters from reporting on the incident and, in at least two cases, arrested or questioned reporters believed to have shared photos or details of the incident over social media. Due to the media blackout, details of the KDF response were unclear, though Mwathethe reported that KDF soldiers gradually advanced on El Adde and were able to recapture the camp by January 21. The following day, KDF press releases claimed that al-Shabaab leader Maalim Janow, believed to lead the Abu Zubair battalion of al-Shabaab, had been killed in a KDF airstrike.
Key Figures
Maalim Janow: Former leader of the Abu Zubair faction of al-Shabaab killed in a KDF air strike.
Uhuru Kenyatta: President of Kenya who promised the Kenyan government would not abandon its mission in Somalia.
Hassan Sheikh Mohammud: President of Somalia.
Samson Mwathethe: KDF general serving as chief of defense forces, the highest-ranking military officer in Kenya.
Bibliography
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