Background on Al-Shabaab Attack on Kenyan Military Base

The New York Times published on 22 January 2020 an article titled “Chaos as Militants Overran Airfield, Killing 3 Americans in Kenya” by Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Eric Schmitt, Charlie Savage, and Helene Cooper.

On 5 January 2020, al-Shabaab terrorists attacked a Kenyan military base at Manda Bay near the border with Somalia. About 200 Americans are assigned to the base. The attack, which killed 3 Americans, underscored the limits of the U.S. military presence in Africa. There was inadequate intelligence and personnel at the base believed Manda Bay was a relatively safe locale.