EIGHT KDF personnel feared dead in chopper crash at Al-Shabaab stricken Boni forest, Lamu

At least eight KDF (Kenya Defence Force) personnel feared dead in a chopper crash during a night patrol at Boni forest, Lamu County.

Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) on Tuesday announced that its surveillance helicopter crashed in Boni Forest, Lamu County on Monday night during a routine patrol.

According to reports, the chopper had at least eight Kenya Defence Forces personnel at the time of the crash.

The Department of Defence headquarters said Tuesday the Kenya Air Force Huey Helicopter crashed Monday night while on night patrol in Lamu County.

“The crew and other military personnel onboard were part of an air surveillance squadron intensifying day and night patrols and surveillance for the ongoing Operation Amani Boni,” DOD said in a statement.

“The leadership and entire KDF fraternity condole with the families of the crew. A Board of Inquiry has been constituted and dispatched to the scene to establish the cause of the crash.”

The cause of the crash is yet to be established but witnesses said it went up in flames on the crash.

KDF noted in the statement a board of inquiry has been constituted and dispatched to the scene to establish the cause of the crush.

Other sources said the chopper was flying from Somalia when it crashed in Boni Forest.

“They were personnel returning from Somalia when it went down. We don’t know why it crashed,” said an official aware of the incident.

Kenyan troops are in Somalia under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) to help in fighting the al-Shabaab terror group. KDF went to Somalia in October 2011.

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There are plans to withdraw the troops from the area and let Somalia take over.

The terror group has increased attacks in Kenya in a renewed trend that has left dozens of people dead in the past months alone near the Kenya-Somalia border.

Within Lamu, KDF is part of a multi-agency team that is involved in major operations in areas near the Kenya-Somalia border amid sporadic attacks.

The attacks have left dozens of people dead including security agents. Others are nursing wounds.

Officials say they have thwarted dozens of planned attacks by the terrorists killing some of them and recovering materials.

Last Saturday, at least two Al-Shabaab militants were Saturday killed in an ambush by military troops in the Bodhei area, Lamu County.

The Kenya Defence Forces team said they recovered three AK47 rifles, more than 300 bullets, RPG launchers, and warheads.

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