Kenyan soldier suspected of killing six Somali civilians
Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:09pm GMT
NAIROBI, Sept 24 (Reuters) - A Kenyan soldier with the African Union
peacekeeping force (AMISOM) in Somalia is suspected of killing six Somali
civilians in the southern part of the country, the Kenyan military said on
Monday.
The incident could anger the local population in the run-up to an offensive
against al Shabaab rebels in the southern port of Kismayu in a final push by
African nations to stabilise the country.
The Kenya Defence Force (KDF) said the incident happened on Sunday in the
Jubba region after several people approached a KDF defensive position.
"A KDF soldier allegedly opened fire killing six people. The soldier was
immediately disarmed and has since been put on guarded seclusion," it said
in a statement.
It said the matter was being investigated by AMISOM force commanders, KDF
and the Somali army, who would later release their findings.
"The findings will duly be respected and appropriate action taken," KDF
said.
Somalia has made progress in the past year in battling an Islamist
insurgency and elected a new president earlier this month, but it faces
security challenges, mainly bomb attacks carried out by al Shabaab.
(Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
