Camp Simba attack

The Camp Simba attack was a pre-dawn attack at Manda Air Strip on Camp Simba on 5 January 2020. The camp is used by Kenyan and U.S. troops and is located near Manda Bay on the mainland of Lamu County, Kenya. The perpetrators were al-Shabaab, a Somali-based Islamist terrorist group. Fewer than 20 al-Shabaab militants assaulted Camp Simba, which was home to around 100 US personnel along with an undisclosed number of Kenyan troops. It was the first al-Shabaab targeting of US military personnel in Kenya.[4]

Camp Simba attack
Part of the War in Somalia
and the War on Terror
Date5 January 2020
Location
Lamu County, Kenya
Result

American–Kenyan tactical victory

  • Al-Shabaab attack repelled[1][2]
  • Al-Shabaab claims victory[2]
Belligerents
 United States
 Kenya (participation disputed)[1]		 Al-Shabaab
Supported by:
Al-Qaeda Central[2]
Strength
Fewer than 100[3]
Unknown		 Fewer than 20[3]
Casualties and losses
1 soldier, 2 contractors killed[2][3]
Several aircraft destroyed[2]
None		 5 killed
5 arrested
Unknown wounded[1]

The timing of the attack coincided with recent Iranian threats of retaliation to target US troops in response to the US assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in the 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike. However, al-Shabaab claimed no link between their decision to attack and to those events.[5]

The raid

The raid began with an al-Shabaab attack on the Manda Air Strip targeting a taxiing Beechcraft King Air 350 surveillance plane with RPGs. Two American contractors flying for L3 Technologies, employed by the US Department of Defense, were killed in this initial attack and a third injured.[6] A US army soldier acting as air traffic controller from a truck was killed in the ensuing gunfight that erupted after the attack on the plane.[6] Meanwhile, a dozen US Marines from the 3rd Marine Raider Battalion based in Camp Simba responded to the attack.[6] The fighting continued for around an hour and the al-Shabaab attack was repelled.[1] Five al-Shabaab militants died in the attack and five were arrested, according to the Kenya Defence Forces and United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).[7][3]

In the raid, al-Shabaab targeted vehicles and aircraft at the airstrip with RPGs, and six aircraft and land vehicles were either destroyed or damaged, along with several fuel tankers.[8][5] Some of the airframes lost included a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 and two helicopters operated by US contractors.[5][8] The Havilland Dash 8 was in use as a spy plane, and was configured for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions in the region.[5] As a result of the significant aircraft losses, AFRICOM admitted that al-Shabaab had "achieved a degree of success in its attack."[2]

Participation of Kenyan forces

According to The New York Times, an investigation based on eyewitness reports revealed that the Kenyan troops stationed at the Manda Air Strip hid in grass fields during the attack.[6] This was denied by the Kenya Defence Forces.[1] First hand accounts explained how crucial the Kenya Defence Forces were in repelling the attack. The Kenyans employed an MD 500 rotary wing with multiple gun runs to gain fire superiority over the al-Shabaab attackers. Also, there were several first hand accounts of individual bravery by Kenyan rangers and soldiers.

Aftermath

Along with claiming to have inflicted 40 casualties on US forces, al-Shabaab claimed to have killed US General Stephen J. Townsend in their raid, however, this claim was dismissed by AFRICOM.[5]

In response to the raid, on 9 January AFRICOM sent two of its senior military officers to oversee a formal investigation.[4]

On 22 February 2020, AFRICOM claimed to have killed the al-Shabaab commander who had planned the attack, but did not provide any names; the rebels did not confirm any losses among its leadership at the time.[2]

References
  1. Rempfer, Kyle (23 January 2020). "101st Airborne deployed to Manda Bay after Al-Shabab attack". Army Times. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  2. Bill Roggio (26 February 2020). "AFRICOM kills Shabaab commander behind Manda Bay Airfield attack". Long War Journal. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  3. "Camp Simba: Three Americans killed in Kenya base". BBC News. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  4. Babb, Carla (9 January 2020). "Exclusive: AFRICOM Sends Top Brass to Kenya to Investigate al-Shabab Attack". Voice of America. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  5. Trevithick, Joseph (5 January 2020). "1 U.S. Serviceperson, 2 Contractors Dead, 6 Planes Struck, Including Rare Spy Plane, In Kenya Attack (Updated)". The Drive. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  6. Gibbons-Neff, Thomas; Schmitt, Eric; Savage, Charlie; Cooper, Helene (22 January 2020). "Chaos as Militants Overran Airfield, Killing 3 Americans in Kenya". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  7. Rambaran, Vandana (5 January 2020). "Kenya attack by al-Shabab militants kills US servicemember, 2 American contractors". Fox News. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  8. Guled, Abdi; Odula, Tom; Anna, Cara (6 January 2020). "Extremists attack Kenya military base, 3 Americans killed". Associated Press. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
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