NAIROBI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. service member and two Department of Defense contractors were killed, following an attack by al-Shabab on Sunday at the Manda Bay Airfield in Kenya, according to the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).
Additionally, two Department of Defense members were injured, who are now in stable condition and being evacuated, the AFRICOM said in a statement.
"As we honor their sacrifice, let's also harden our resolve. Alongside our African and international partners, we will pursue those responsible for this attack and al-Shabab who seeks to harm Americans and U.S. interests. We remain committed to preventing al-Shabab from maintaining a safe haven to plan deadly attacks against the U.S. homeland, East African, and international partners," U.S. Army General Stephen Townsend, commander of the AFRICOM, said.
According to the statement, the attack on the compound involved indirect and small arms fire. After an initial penetration of the perimeter, the Kenya Defense Forces and the AFRICOM repelled the al-Shabab attack. Six contractor-operated civilian aircraft were reportedly damaged to some degree.
The Manda Bay Airfield is utilized by U.S. forces, whose missions include providing training to African partners, responding to crises and protecting U.S. interests in the area, according to the statement.
Paul Njuguna, spokesman of the Kenya Defense Forces, confirmed that five al-Shabab terrorists were killed in the attack in which the extremist group claimed responsibility.