Its exactly five months since the El Adde dawn attack in Somalia that inflicted the worst blow on Kenyan troops since Operation Linda Nchi began on October 16, 2011 and yet Kenyans do not know the exact number of soldiers killed by Al-Shabaab militants in the January 15.
Days after the attack, Chief of Defence Forces Gen Samson Mwathethe promised to make public the number of soldiers killed.The military set up a board of inquiry to look into what led to the attack and why the casualty figure was high but the report has not been made public.
Military Spokesman Col David Obonyo said he was not in a position to divulge casualty figure though sources within the military say the report is ready.So far a list of approximately 40 funerals have been held since the Al-Shabaab raid.
During a press conference in January, Gen Mwathethe said some bodies were badly mutilated and could only be identified through DNA, a process he said would take long.This meant more agony for missing soldiers’ families.
The militants said more than 100 soldiers were killed, a figure disputed by Kenya Defence Forces.Some survivors have since gone back to work.
The Kenya military, now operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom), has stepped up ground and air attacks against the militants.
The United States has also joined in the fight and uses drones to hit Al-Shabaab camps and members.
Ugandan, Ethiopian and Burundian troops have also suffered mass casualties in other Al-Shabaab attacks in and around Mogadishu.