Kenya military estimates 100 Somali militants killed in battle; attack in Kenya kills 2

NAIROBI, Kenya — The spokesman for Kenya’s military says an estimated 100 Somali militants were killed after helicopter gunships targeted a gathering of more than 200 al-Shabab fighters in Somalia.

Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir said Friday that the gunships targeted a meeting where close to 20 al-Shabab vehicles were gathered near Badhade.

The claim could not be independently verified. Al-Shabab had no immediate comment on its Twitter feed, the same microblogging site that Chirchir used to make Friday’s announcement.

Kenyan forces moved into Somalia in October to fight al-Shabab after a rash of attacks on Kenyan soil.

Elsewhere, gunmen opened fire in the Kenyan town of Garissa on Friday, killing two people, government official James Ole Sereni said.

The Associated Press