A Somali based Islamist group Al Shabaab said on Friday its fighters killed tens of Kenyan troops, Kenya Defense Forces (KDF), when they attacked a remote military base in Somalia the previous day, a claim the Kenyan army has denied.

The group said its fighters killed tens of Kenyans at the base in the southern town of Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border. Al Shabaab is however known to use propaganda by giving exaggerating figures.

Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Paul Njuguna told the local press, in reference to al Shabaab's claim that nearly 57 soldiers were killed, and failed to give any casualty figures.

"The operation is ongoing. We are receiving updates," he said.

In January 2016, al Shabaab claimed to have killed hundreds of Kenyan soldiers in El Ade a camp near the border. The KDF has not yet given details of what happened, one year down the line.

Al Shabaab, has been using ambush attacks against the operational bases in Somalia, and in most cases has executed in large numbers.

Control

Currently, Somalia has troops from Kenya, Djibouti, Uganda, Ethiopia and other African countries who are fighting to quell the rowdy group which is seeking to control the government troubled nation.

African Union and Somalia troops have driven Al Shabaab fighters from major urban strongholds and ports, majorly Kismayo in 2011, but they have often struggled to defend smaller, more remote areas from attacks.