U.S. Africa Command on Monday confirmed that U.S. military rapid response team has been deployed to the military base in Manda Bay, Kenya.
The deployment comes barely a day after launched heavy attack on the base, killing three American and unknown number of Kenyan forces. Three Americans were said to be U.S. service member and two Pentagon contractors.
The forces deployed at the base known as East Africa Response Force (EARF) will take over the security of the airfield, according to Army Maj. Gen. William Gayler, director of operations for AFRICOM.
“The EARF’s ability to respond to events spanning a vast area of responsibility provides a proven and invaluable on-call reinforcement capability in times of need,” Gayler said in a statement.
Last Sunday, Al Shabaab militants carried out a bold attack on the Manda Bay naval base in Lamu County, a base used by US and Kenyan troops, destroying US aircraft and vehicles.
The militants began targeting Kenya after it sent troops into Somalia in 2011 to join an African Union peacekeeping force seeking to combat al-shabaab.
