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{{Short description|Al-Shabaab-KDF military incident in 2016}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict    = 2016 Battle of El Adde
| partof      = the [[War in Somalia (2009-present)|War in Somalia]]
| image       = Somalia map states regions districts.png
| image_size  = 300
| caption     = Political situation in Somalia
| date        = 15 January 2016
| place       = [[El Adde]], [[Gedo]], [[Somalia]]
| result      = Major Al-Shabaab victory<ref name=Kenya/><ref name=":3"/><ref name=NYtimes/><ref name=CNN1/>
*Kenya Defense Forces temporarily pull out of 3 towns in Gedo
*Deadliest attack on [[AMISOM]] mission to date.<ref name=":1"/>
*El Adde temporarily captured by Al Shabaab, recaptured by KDF four days later.<ref name=CNN1/>
| combatant1  = {{flagicon image|AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg}} '''[[Al-Shabaab (Somalia)|Al-Shabaab]]'''
| combatant2  = {{flagicon image|Flag of the African Union.svg}} [[African Union Mission to Somalia|AMISOM]]<ref name=":4"/>
*{{flagicon|Kenya}} [[Kenya]]
----
{{Flagicon|Somalia}} [[Federal Government of Somalia]]
| commander1  = {{Flagdeco|Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant}} [[Ahmad Umar Abu Ubaidah|Ahmad Umar]]<br><small>(Emir of Al-Shabaab)</small><br/>{{Flagdeco|Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant}} Maalim Janow {{Ref label|KIA|*}}<br>{{Flagdeco|Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant}} Mahad Mohammed Karatey<br/><small>(Intelligence Chief)</small>{{Ref label|KIA|*}}<br>{{Flagdeco|Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant}} Ahmed Iman Ali<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mobile/article/2000193248/fugitive-al-shabaab-terrorist-resurfaces-with-more-threats|title=Fugitive Kenyan al Shabaab terrorist resurfaces with more threats}}</ref><br>{{Flagdeco|Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant}} AbduQadir Ali{{KIA}}
| commander2  = {{flagicon image|Flag of Kenya.svg}} Maj. Jeffrey Obuoge{{KIA}}<br><small>(KDF [[Commanding Officer]])</small><ref>[http://allafrica.com/stories/201604080081.html Kenya: Top Soldier Killed in El Adde Attack Laid to Rest]</ref><br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Kenya.svg}} Warrant Officer Isaac Otsyalo{{KIA}}<ref name=Adde/><br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Kenya.svg}}  Sgt. Juma Zahoro{{KIA}}<br><small>(Officer in KDF [[Military intelligence|Intelligence Unit]])</small><ref name=CNN1/>
----
{{Flagicon|Somalia}} Gen. Abas Ibrahim Gurey<ref name=":0"/>
| units1      = ''Saleh Nabhan brigade''<ref name=Adde/><br/>''Abu Zubair battalion''<ref name=:1/><ref name=Adde/>
| units2      = {{flagicon|Kenya}} [[Kenya Army Infantry]]
*9th Kenya Rifles<ref name=Adde/>
*5th Kenya Rifles<ref name=Adde/>
| strength1   = 200 fighters <ref name=CNN1/>
| strength2   = {{flagicon|Kenya}} [[Company (military unit)|Company]]: ~175<ref name=CNN1/><ref name="The Star Kenya">{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/07/02/unanswered-questions-on-el-adde_c1378020|title=The Star}}</ref> to around 600 soldiers<ref name=Kenya/><ref>{{cite news |title=Kenya Rattled as Shabab Turns Sights on Somalia Military Targets (Published 2016) |work=The New York Times |date=20 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126183030/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/world/africa/shabab-attacks-somalia-kenya.html |archive-date=26 January 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/world/africa/shabab-attacks-somalia-kenya.html |last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey }}</ref>
| casualties1 = Unknown {{Ref label|Killed|**}}

<ref name="standardmedia.co.ke">{{Cite web|url=https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2001265769/brave-and-sharp-major-who-led-kdf-to-its-worst-ambush-in-somalia|title = Brave and sharp major who led KDF to its worst ambush in Somalia}}</ref>
| casualties2 = {{flagicon|Kenya}}:

150-400 killed{{Ref label|Killed|**}}

11 captured<ref name="CNN1"/><ref name="answers"/> 
12 wounded<ref name=":0"/>
| casualties3 = 12 civilians killed<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.shabellenews.com/2016/11/un-releases-number-of-kdf-soldiers-killed-in-el-ade-attack/ |title=UN releases number of KDF soldiers killed in El-Ade raid |access-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710202721/http://www.shabellenews.com/2016/11/un-releases-number-of-kdf-soldiers-killed-in-el-ade-attack/ |archive-date=10 July 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| notes       = {{Note label|KIA|*}} Al Shabaab leaders subsequently killed in retaliatory air-strikes (per Kenya's military).<ref name=":1"/><ref name=Intelligence>{{Cite web|url=http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000192127/al-shabaab-commander-behind-el-adde-attack-killed-in-kdf-strike|title = Al-Shabaab commander Karatey who was behind El-Adde attack killed in KDF strike}}</ref><br>{{Note label|Killed|**}} Approximate casualty figure.<ref name=BBC1>[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35658500 Somalia's al-Shabab killed '190 Kenyan troops'in el-Ade]</ref><ref name=CNN1>{{cite web |title=Kenya covers up military massacre |date=31 May 2016 |website=[[CNN]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230401210052/https://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/31/africa/kenya-soldiers-el-adde-massacre/index.html |archive-date=1 April 2023 |url-status=live |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/31/africa/kenya-soldiers-el-adde-massacre/index.html}}</ref>
}}
{{Campaignbox War in Somalia (2009–)}}
The '''Battle of El Adde''' took place on 15 January 2016. [[Al-Shabaab (militant group)|Al-Shabaab]] militants launched an attack on a Kenyan-run AMISOM army base in the town of [[El Adde]], [[Gedo]], Somalia. It remains the deadliest attack on the [[African Union Mission to Somalia]] and is the [[Kenya Defence Forces]] (KDF) largest defeat since independence in 1963. As such, the [[Kenyan government]] went to extreme lengths to conceal the extent of its losses.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="edition.cnn.com">{{Cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2016/05/31/africa/kenya-soldiers-el-adde-massacre/index.html|title = Kenya covers up military massacre| date=31 May 2016 }}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title = Kenya: KDF Soldiers 'Will Fight On Until There Is Peace in Somalia'|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201601281446.html|website = allAfrica.com|access-date = 2016-02-02}}</ref><ref name=":6" /> It has been described by the media as a "military massacre" or [[military disaster]].<ref name="edition.cnn.com"/> It was also the largest military defeat in Kenyan history.<ref name="answers">[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-38218885 No answers from Kenya on deaths of 150 troops]</ref><ref name=NYtimes>{{cite news |title=Shabab and East African Front Militants Compete for Notoriety (Published 2016) |work=The New York Times |date=12 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126165553/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/world/africa/militant-groups-compete-for-notoriety-in-east-africa.html?_r=0 |archive-date=26 January 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/13/world/africa/militant-groups-compete-for-notoriety-in-east-africa.html?_r=0 |last1=Gettleman |first1=Jeffrey }}</ref>

== Background ==
In 2011, [[Kenya]] launched an incursion into [[Somalia]], "[[Operation Linda Nchi]]." In 2012 Kenya joined the [[African Union Mission to Somalia]] (AMISOM). From that time, the KDF has occupied the southern Gedo Region of Somalia with around 3,000 troops.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/01/28/amisom-releases-photos-of-el-adde-attack-says-it-is-payback-time_c1284519|title=Amisom releases photos of el Adde attack, says it is 'payback time'}}</ref>

According to Abas Ibrahim Gurey, a Marehan war leader in the area who often cooperates with the Somali authorities, clear and reliable intelligence of an imminent attack had been passed along to the [[commanding officer]] in charge of the El Adde base, 45 days in advance.<ref name="commander"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = New details of El Adde attack: Somali general claims KDF received pre-attack intelligence|url = http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000188732/new-details-of-el-adde-attack-somali-general-claims-kdf-received-pre-attack-intelligence|website = Standard Digital News|access-date = 2016-02-02|first = Standard|last = Team}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite news|title = What happened when al-Shabab attacked a Kenyan base in Somalia? - BBC News|work = BBC News|date = 22 January 2016|url = http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35364593|access-date = 2016-02-02|language = en-GB}}</ref>

== Kenyan army base attack ==
On 15 January, at 6:30 a.m before [[Fajr prayer|morning prayers]], a [[suicide attack|suicide]] [[car bomb|bomber]] [[detonate]]d his [[explosive]] laden [[armoured personnel carrier]] to the front gate to an [[African Union Mission to Somalia|AMISOM]] garrison base in El-Adde, Gedo, Somalia. The base compound housed a [[company (military unit)|company]] of men belonging to both the 5th and 9th Kenya Rifles.<ref name="commander">{{Cite web|title = DOD asks families of missing KDF soldiers to go for DNA tests to help identify bodies|url = http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000189227&story_title=dod-asks-families-of-missing-kdf-soldiers-to-go-for-dna-tests-to-help-identify-bodies|website = Standard Digital News|access-date = 2016-02-02|first = SILAH KOSKEI AND MICHAEL|last = OLLINGA}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/world/africa/shabab-attacks-somalia-kenya.html|title=Kenya Rattled as Shabab Turns Sights on Somalia Military Targets|last=Gettleman|first=Jeffrey|date=2016-01-20|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=2016-02-02}}</ref> Both Kenyan Rifle Battalions were detached to the El-Adde base only two weeks beforehand.<ref name=":9" /> The total size of the garrison that day has been generally put at around 600  Kenyan troops present.<ref name=":10" />

According to KDF spokesperson General Samson Mwathethe, the explosion was three times more powerful than the [[1998 United States embassy bombings|1998 United States embassy bombings in Nairobi]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|title = Kenya troops killed by 'huge bomb' in Somalia attack - BBC News|work = BBC News|date = 21 January 2016|url = http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35372855|access-date = 2016-02-02|language = en-GB}}</ref> The massive blast damaged the command and communications buildings, as well as an armory and fuel depots of the base, killing dozens of soldiers.<ref name="Adde">{{Cite web|title = Al-Shabab attacks African Union base in Somalia|url = http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/al-shabab-attacks-african-union-base-somalia-160115070814884.html|website = www.aljazeera.com|access-date = 2016-02-02}}</ref><ref name=":8" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = Standard Digital News - Probe team seeks role of Somali troops in El Adde ambush|url = http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/mobile/article/2000189903/probe-team-seeks-role-of-somali-troops-in-el-adde-ambush|website = Standard Digital News|access-date = 2016-02-02|first = David|last = Ohito}}</ref> Al Shabaab named the suicide bomber as AbduQadir Ali.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tuko.co.ke/117364-al-shabaab-release-chilling-el-adde-propaganda-video.html|title=Al-Shabaab release 48-minute propaganda video about El-Adde raid|last=Hussein|first=Abdikarim|website=Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news.|date=11 April 2016|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-14}}</ref>

The suicide explosion was a precursor to an estimated 150 to 300<ref name="edition.cnn.com" /> Al-Shabaab fighters assaulting the base with [[rocket-propelled grenade]]s and [[assault weapon]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/04/15/90-days-on-kenya-remembers-dawn-raid-on-el-adde-kdf-base_c1329436?page=0%252C1|title=90 days on, Kenya remembers dawn raid on El Adde KDF base|website=The Star, Kenya|access-date=2016-04-15}}</ref> The attack caught Kenyan troops unprepared and asleep. At approximately 7:30 a.m, the battle lasted for more than one hour of fierce fighting,<ref name="Kenya">{{Cite web|title = How KDF fought 10-hour battle to save ill-fated camp|url = http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000188803&story_title=how-kdf-fought-10-hour-battle-to-save-ill-fated-camp|website = Standard Digital News|access-date = 2016-02-02|first = David|last = Ohito}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title = We believe we've killed mastermind of El Adde attack-KDF|url = https://citizentv.co.ke/news/we-believe-weve-killed-mastermind-of-el-adde-attack-kdf-112396/|website = Citizentv.co.ke| date=22 January 2016 |access-date = 2016-02-02|language = en-US}}</ref> until Kenyan troops were routed from the base and fled into the dense bush pursued by Al Shabaab militants.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":0" />

A neighboring [[Somali National Army]] (SNA) base located 600 meters away from the AMISOM base, was empty of troops, who allegedly left and were warned hours before the attack, per the Kenyan military.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite web|title = Somalia: Scores of Kenyan Soldiers Feared Dead|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201601201178.html|website = allAfrica.com|access-date = 2016-02-03}}</ref> It was initially reported that the SNA base came under assault and Kenyan troops were supporting the Somali Army and that the KDF had incurred unspecified losses. However, this story was revised.<ref name=":0" />

===Tactical failures===
According to the [[Cable News Network]] (CNN), "The apparent ease with which the militants breached barriers at El Adde has surprised many security analysts -- especially since the same style of assault had been seen before in bloody attacks on AMISOM forces."

One Western [[diplomat]] based in the Somali capital, [[Mogadishu]], told [[CNN]] this was clearly a "tactical disaster" for the Kenyans.
"How can two hundred Al-Shabaab walk across a field in broad daylight without the Kenyans noticing? Where were the KDF's [[machine gun]]s?" he asked. "This is contrary to everything they have been taught, and should be doing in a hostile environment."<ref name="edition.cnn.com"/>

== Casualties ==
Al Shabaab claimed to have captured 12 Kenyan soldiers, including the commanding officer after the battle.<ref name="broadcast">{{Cite web|title = Somali Militants Broadcast Voices of Captured Kenyan Soldiers After Attack on Military Base {{!}} VICE News|url = https://news.vice.com/article/al-shabaab-somalia-militants-broadcast-voices-captured-kenyan-soldiers-military-base-el-adde|website = VICE News|access-date = 2016-02-02|language = en-US}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web|title = Local clan in El Adde might have betrayed KDF|url = http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000189296/local-clan-in-el-adde-might-have-betrayed-kdf|website = Standard Digital News|access-date = 2016-02-02|first = Cyrus|last = Ombati}}</ref> Later al-Katāi’b Media associated with Al-Shabaab, released a 48-minute-long [[propaganda]] video showing the bodies of at least 63 dead KDF soldiers and captured military hardware, including several tanks and long range field artillery.<ref name=":9" /> They later claimed to have killed over 600 Kenyan troops,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/somalia/12101407/Bodies-of-Kenyan-soldiers-dragged-through-Somali-streets-after-al-Shabaab-attack-on-base.html|title=Bodies of Kenyan soldiers dragged through Somali streets after al-Shabaab attack on base|website=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2016-02-06}}</ref><ref name=":11" /> although this has been deemed an understatement. This number does not include ethnic-Somali soldiers in Kenyan uniform.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":11" /><ref>{{Cite web|title = Kenyan troops withdraw from El Adde massacre camp in Somalia|url = http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/01/26/kenyan-troops-withdraw-from-el-adde-massacre-camp-in-somalia_c1283640|website = The Star, Kenya|access-date = 2016-02-02}}</ref>

A new death toll from available open source information indicates that ranges from 141 to around 200
 Kenyan troops, including all officers, were [[killed in action]]. Around 40 survivors managed to escape and an unknown number are still unaccounted for.<ref name=":1" /> Separately, [[DNA]] samples were taken from 143 bodies at the scene, most of which were burned beyond recognition.<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|url=http://www.recoilweb.com/attack-on-kdf-el-adde-93597.html|title=Video Surfaces of Brutal Assault on Kenyan Peacekeepers in Somalia {{!}} RECOIL|date=2016-04-23|language=en-US|access-date=2016-07-28}}</ref>

== Aftermath and reactions ==
[[Kenyan president]] [[Uhuru Kenyatta]] expressed his condolences to the families and vowed militants would pay a heavy price for the attack. He reaffirmed Kenyan support in the [[AMISOM Peace Support Mission to Somalia]] and ruled out withdrawal of troops from Somalia.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Kenya President: Al-Shabab Will Pay 'Heavy Price'|url = http://www.voanews.com/content/kenya-president-al-shabab-will-pay-heavy-price/3152912.html|website = VOA|access-date = 2016-02-02}}</ref> Declaring the terrorists will have no time to breathe. "We will not be cowed by these cowards. With our allies, we will continue in Somalia to fulfill our mission. We will hunt down the criminals involved in today's events. Our soldiers’ blood will not be shed in vain." Kenyan bishops around the country offered condolences.<ref>{{Cite web|title = CatholicHerald.co.uk » Kenya's bishop offers condolences after soldiers killed by al-Shabab|url = http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2016/01/27/kenyas-bishop-offers-condolences-after-soldiers-killed-by-al-shabab/|website = www.catholicherald.co.uk|access-date = 2016-02-04}}</ref>

The [[Somali president]] [[Hassan Sheikh Mohamud]] condemned the attack.<ref name=AllAfrica>{{Cite web|title = Somalia: Somali President Condemns Attack On KDF Base At El-Adde|url = http://allafrica.com/stories/201601180155.html|website = allAfrica.com|access-date = 2016-02-02}}</ref> In a later interview with Somali Cable TV, he described the attack as a "defeat" in a line of victories and put the KDF death toll at close to 200 to around 600 fatalities.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/killed-al-shabab-mortar-attack-somalia-160225101227367.html
| title = Somali leader: '200 Kenyan troops' dead in January raid
| website = www.aljazeera.com
| access-date = 2016-02-27
}}</ref> However, according to a Somali presidential spokesman, he was "misquoted" on the precise casualty figures when questioned by the Kenyan military.<ref>{{Cite web
| url = http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/02/28/i-was-misquoted-somalia-president-says-on-report-200-kdf-troops-killed_c1303226
| title = I was misquoted, Somalia President says on report 200 KDF troops killed in El Adde
| website = The Star, Kenya
| access-date = 2016-02-28
}}</ref>

[[Nigerian president]] [[Muhammadu Buhari]] along with Somali president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made a three-day visit to Kenya to attend a ceremony in honor of the soldiers killed at the Moi army barracks in [[Eldoret]], [[Kenya]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title = Nigeria and Somalia to honour Kenya's fallen soldiers in El Adde {{!}} Diplomat News Network|url = http://diplomat.so/2016/01/27/nigeriasomalia-to-honour-kenyas-fallen-soldiers/|access-date = 2016-02-02|archive-date = 2 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160202153044/http://diplomat.so/2016/01/27/nigeriasomalia-to-honour-kenyas-fallen-soldiers/|url-status = dead}}</ref>

On 22 January, the alleged mastermind of the El Adde attack and leader of the Al Shabaab ''"Abu Zubair battalion"'', Maalim Janow, was killed in retaliatory airstrikes according to Kenya's military.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000188967/kdf-soldiers-kill-al-shabaab-leader-who-plotted-deadly-raid|title=KDF soldiers kill Al Shabaab leader who plotted deadly raid|last=OHITO|first=CYRUS OMBATI and DAVID|website=Standard Digital News|access-date=2016-02-02}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

===Cover-up===
According to [[CNN]], "to prevent details of what happened at El Adde from emerging, Kenya's government used a rarely enforced law prohibiting the distribution of images or information likely to cause public fear and alarm or undermine security operations. One local blogger who tweeted a photograph showing the aftermath of the attack was promptly arrested. He was later released without charge."

"There is clearly an attempt to mislead Kenyans and to hide the truth about what happened," said Patrick Gathara, a political commentator and cartoonist who lashed out at the KDF and [[Kenyan government]] in local newspapers after the attack. "It is being hidden to avoid accountability."
"Who died for you in El Adde?" Gathara believes there is a deliberate attempt "to avoid accountability."Added Gathara, "It is all very deliberate and designed to avoid public demands for senior officials and officers to be held responsible for failures. "The truth about El Adde is being hidden from Kenyans, not from Al-Shabaab."

CNN reports, "Tellingly, Al-Shabaab's propaganda video uses the Kenyan authorities' own words against them, highlighting the inaccurate KDF press release sent in the immediate aftermath of the attack, and accusing the KDF of "distorting the truth and blatantly lying to their public."
Analysts say the KDF's lack of transparency has only provided more fodder for Al-Shabaab's ideological battle."

"Although they cite national security reasons, what they end up doing is creating an opportunity for Al-Shabaab to propagandize their victories, perhaps exaggerate them," said Peter Pham, director of the Atlantic Council's Africa Center."But there's no way of countering that narrative because there is no real narrative coming from the government."

"The AU [African Union] would be better served by contesting the Al-Shabaab narrative, not ceding ground to it," said Paul D. Williams, Associate Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University, who specializes in reporting on peacekeeping missions.
"Silence is not a winning strategy in the world of strategic communications," he told CNN in late January, shortly after the attack.<ref name="edition.cnn.com"/>

==See also==
* [[Westgate shopping mall attack]]
* [[Garissa University College attack]]
* [[Operation Linda Nchi]]
* [[Operation Indian Ocean]]
* [[Battle of Leego (2015)]]
* [[List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2016]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{War in Somalia (2009–)}}

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:El Adde 2016}}
[[Category:2016 in international relations]]
[[Category:2016 in Kenya]]
[[Category:2016 mass shootings in Africa]]
[[Category:2016 murders in Somalia]]
[[Category:21st-century mass murder in Somalia]]
[[Category:Al-Shabaab (militant group) attacks]]
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[[Category:Battles involving al-Shabaab (militant group)]]
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