US deploys reinforcements to Kenya airfield after Al-Shabaab attack kills three

The Pentagon is sending troops to “bolster security” at Manda Bay Airfield in Lamu County, Kenya, after an attack on Sunday by terror group Al-Shabaab killed three Americans and wounded two more.

An unspecified number of additional forces will be joining US and Kenyan forces currently stationed at the base, the Pentagon announced on Monday. AFRICOM has ruled out the possibility that Sunday’s attack was related to rising tensions between the US and Iran.

One US soldier and two contractors died on Sunday when the militant group attacked in a four-hour pre-dawn raid that destroyed two planes, two helicopters, and several American military vehicles, according to a Kenyan police report seen by Reuters. Fewer than 150 US personnel are currently stationed at the base, where they are tasked with counterterrorism and training East African forces.

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