Eight Kenyan soldiers were killed and two others seriously injured after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hit a military vehicle near the Somali town of Dhobley on Sunday.

Military officials in both Kenya and Somalia on Monday confirmed the attack, which happened at about 4 p.m.local time.

The Kenyan soldiers are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

They were returning to the town near the Kenya-Somalia border through the Dagalema route from Dadaab, in northeast Kenya.

The IED damaged the military vehicle the Kenyan soldiers were riding in.

One official from the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) confirmed that the attack killed eight and injured two.

“The lull witnessed in the recent past points to al-Shabab planning phase to deploy IED in the upcoming Ramadan period.

“Based on the past experience, al-Shabab deploy IEDs in the theatre by consignments and it’s very likely that similar consignments have been deployed to other MSRs (main supply routes),” the Kenyan official added.

The official said the two soldiers who sustained serious injuries have been airlifted to Wajir in northeast Kenya for specialised treatment.

Somali officials in Gedo region also confirmed the incident, saying several KDF soldiers were injured.

Al-Qaida-allied militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters killed 15 Kenyan soldiers.

Gedo residents said the military vehicle was in a convoy on patrol when it was hit by a massive explosion.

“I saw the bodies of eight Kenyan soldiers and two others badly injured in the explosion,” said a Somali military official.

“Dhobley town, located at the Somali border with Kenya, is one of the towns which have enjoyed relative peace in southern Somalia. (Xinhua/NAN)

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