Three Americans were killed in an attack by extremist group al-Shabab on Kenyan base Camp Simba near the Somalia border early Sunday morning, according to the U.S. military. "During an attack by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda group in East Africa, earlier today, one (1) U.S. service member and two (2) Department of Defense contractors were killed," the military said in a statement. "In addition, two (2) Department of Defense members were wounded. The wounded Americans are currently in stable condition and being evacuated." The military is withholding names until next of kin can be notified. The attack comes days after a U.S. strike killed Iran's top military man and spy, Qassem Soleimani, leading to vows of violent reprisals from Iran and its proxies.
Four of the attackers were killed when their group tried to breach security at the base at Manda Bay Airfield, which is used by the U.S. military. The U.S. Africa Command confirmed the attack, which al-Shabab’s says inflicted casualties and destroyed U.S. military equipment including aircraft; the U.S. denies any such damage occurred. The Associated Press reports that two aircraft, two U.S. helicopters, and multiple vehicles were also destroyed at the airstrip. The al Qaeda-linked group was responsible for an attack on a market in Somalia last weekend that killed 79 people.
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