LAMU COUNTY, Kenya – A U.S. soldier from the Chicago area and two American defense contractors were killed in an attack by al-Shabab extremists on a military base in Kenya.
Sunday’s attack took place at a base on the coast of the East African country.
Video shot several miles away shows a large plume of smoke. Gunfire can be heard in the distance.
The U.S. military said five American aircraft were destroyed and one damaged in the hours-long assault.
It was the first attack on U.S. forces inside Kenya by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group.
NBC’s Chicago affiliate reports the dead soldier’s identity as 23-year-old Henry Mayfield, Jr. of Hazel Crest, Illinois.
Two other Americans, both contractors with the U.S. Department of Defense, were also killed but their names have not yet been released.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.