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Extremists attack Kenya military base, 3 Americans killed

The Kenyan military said that five attackers were killed.

Credit: AP

In this photo taken Aug. 26, 2019 and released by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sidney Dellinger, 475th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron materiel management journeyman, and Staff Sgt. Corey Smith, 475th EABS heating, ventilation, and air conditioning non-commissioned officer in charge, perform flag detail during a ceremony signifying the change from tactical to enduring operations at Camp Simba, Manda Bay, Kenya. The al-Shabab extremist group said Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020 that it has attacked the Camp Simba military base used by U.S. and Kenyan troops in coastal Kenya, while Kenya's military says the attempted pre-dawn breach was repulsed and at least four attackers were killed. (Staff Sgt. Lexie West/U.S. Air Force via AP)

NAIROBI, Kenya — The U.S. military says that Al-Shabab extremists overran a key military base used by U.S. counterterror forces in Kenya, killing three American Department of Defense personnel and destroying several U.S. aircraft and vehicles before they were repelled.

The attack on the Manda Bay Airfield on Sunday was the al-Qaida-linked group's first attack against U.S. forces in the East African country.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack.

RELATED: Al-Shabab attacks Kenya military base used by US forces

The Kenyan military said that five attackers were killed.

Al-Shabab said the attack has nothing to do with the Middle East crisis.

Kenya is a key base for fighting al-Shabab, one of the world's most resilient extremist groups.

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