The Ethiopian National Defence Force on Saturday confirmed an ambush by al-Shabaab extremists on an Ethiopian peacekeeping convoy in neighbouring Somalia and said Ethiopian forces are preparing a "massive offensive" in response. The statement rejected an al-Shabaab claim that several Ethiopian troops were killed. The ambush was reported as the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the deadly hotel assault in Nairobi, Kenya, and deadly attacks on forces inside Somalia. A separate statement by the AU force said the ambush occurred on Friday and AU troops returned fire, killing four extremists and wounding several others. In late October, al-Shabaab claimed it killed 30 Ethiopian troops inside Somalia.

Source: CBC News January 19, 2019 15:04 UTC