By RFIPosted on 05-01-2020Modified on 05-01-2020 at 22:42

The toll of the Shebab attack on a military base in eastern Kenya is increasing. Earlier today, authorities said 4 terrorists were killed and 5 alleged accomplices arrested. This Sunday evening, the American command in Africa, Africom, acknowledged that the attack on Camp Simba left three American victims. A soldier and two contract workers from the Ministry of Defense. Two other ministry workers were injured and evacuated in stable condition.

American communication has just taken a hit. During their attack, the shebabs claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the American and Kenyan troops stationed on this base.

Washington had accused the Islamists of exaggerating the facts in order to maintain their reputation, while specifying that an investigation was underway to assess the damage. The Kenyan authorities had for their part declared that no soldier had been hit.

Finally, the American command had to recognize the victims. Six planes were also damaged. " We will prosecute those responsible, " promised General Stephen Townsend, the commander of Africom.

The shebabs attacked at around 5.30 am, targeting the air strip adjoining Camp Simba, an American-Kenyan military base near Lamu. The Islamists broke through the compound using a suicide attack in a vehicle. A classic method that terrorists have tried in Somalia. Fuel tanks caught fire, a shooting broke out, and the shebabs ended up being neutralized…

Camp Simba is dedicated to counterterrorism and the training of Kenyan soldiers. " As we honor the sacrifice of the victims, we must strengthen our resolve, " said General Townsend.

♦ The vague links between Iran and the shebabs

The press around the world recalled that the shebab attack fell as tension mounted between Iran and the United States, three days after the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by an American drone. Even though Tehran is calling for revenge against Washington, there is currently no established link between the Kenyan attack and the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. But some point to the sometimes vague links between Tehran and the shebabs.

For many commentators, any relationship between Shiite Iran and the Sunni-inspired Shebabs is pure fiction. But several specialists have less clear-cut opinions. Some recall that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Tehran of facilitating the smuggling of coal into Somalia, known to be a source of income for terrorists.

Rashid Abdi explains that the Kenyan services have long accused the Revolutionary Guards of seeking to establish links with the Islamists on the Kenyan coast. The REF researcher indicates that in 2016, two arrested Iranian nationals, alleged members of the Pasdaran, had been suspected of planning an attack against Israeli interests in Kenya.

Rashid Abdi goes even further. According to him, " yesterday's attack could have been prepared to signal to Tehran that a tactical alliance was possible " against the Americans. Others, however, answer that the operation was probably painstakingly long-standing. Any link with the death of General Soleiman is just a coincidence.

Finally the journalist Harun Maruf, specialist in shebabs, sees him another possible indirect link. According to him, part of the arms sent by Iran to Yemen ended up in Somalia in the hands of the shebabs, through traffickers.

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